"The only team with a first driver is Red Bull" - Rival F1 team boss comments on Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen's status within their team

Ferrari F1 team principal Fred Vasseur recently made a mention of the difference between Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen, claiming Red Bull are the only team with a "first driver" philosophy.

The performance gap between Verstappen and Perez has been huge this season, as the reigning world champion seems to be in a league of his own. But the Ferrari team principal claimed he gives his own drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz equal opportunities. He cited many other teams who treat their drivers equally too.

“We can afford to have two drivers with the same opportunities and resources," Vasseur said to the Italian weekly Autosprint. "If one of them is in the title fight at some point in the season, I will focus two hundred percent on that driver. But that’s not the case at all right now. At the start of the season, there’s no number one and number two."

"Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are exactly on the same level, they’re equal," he continued. "It was like this before and it will be like this in the future. Even Mercedes treats Russell and Hamilton the same way. And the same goes for Gasly and Ocon or Alonso and Stroll. The only team with a lead driver is Red Bull."

The difference between the Red Bull teammates has been accentuated by Sergio Perez's disastrous mid-season slump. Perez has often started outside the top 10, and he is currently 125 points behind Verstappen in the standings.

Red Bull has always operated with a No. 1 driver in the team, with only Mark Webber proving them wrong in Silverstone 2010. Having such a teammate dynamic has worked for them as they have won five constructor titles.

However, the team hasn't yet achieved a one-two finish in the drivers' standings.

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Former F1 driver advises Sergio Perez to cut himself off from all social media

Having had a disappointing first half of the season, Sergio Perez's results in the quickest car have raised questions about his future at Red Bull. In such testing times, Nico Rosberg has a piece of advice for the Mexican driver.

"Avoid all media. Just don’t look at it—because he will see all the memes and reactions against him, and the journalists with loaded questions against him," Rosberg said recently on Sky Sports.

Sergio Perez in the Belgium GP

Referring to his time at Mercedes alongside an equally dominant Lewis Hamilton and how he overcame the pressure to win the title in 2016, Rosberg said:

"You really have to let that go and I did at the time — social media, e-mail, news, I ignored the whole world in the years I fought for the title."

Sergio Perez has seemingly recovered from his mid-season slump, finishing on the podium in Hungary and Belgium. He would hope for consistent results in the second half of the season.