Verstappen happy with Perez: 'Checo is not number two'

Max Verstappen was quite clearly the number one driver for Red Bull Racing this season. While the Dutchman scored 395.5 points, Sergio Perez scored over 200 points less. It does not make Verstappen feel more important, however, as he emphasised in conversation with Motorsport-magazin.com.

The Mexican largely struggled to adapt to the Red Bull car this season. At the beginning of the season his results were mixed, but as the season progressed Perez came into his own, even managing to help his teammate to the world title in the final race.

Perez crucial to Verstappen

In the final race, Verstappen was lagging behind Hamilton, but Perez put a stop to that. The Mexican driver, who was leading at the time having not yet pitted, managed to hold off Hamilton, causing the Briton to lose time, which brought Verstappen closer to winning the world championship.

Verstappen therefore expresses his gratitude towards Perez in the interview. "Checo is not number two, in the end we have the same chances", states the Dutchman. "Of course you have to be respected, but you don't want to be preferred. I don't think I need that either. In the end it's not good for the team if it's always like this."