Verstappen gets support: 'If this is true, it's very mean of Red Bull'

"He clearly said: you shouldn't ask me that, in the conversation they had earlier then. That's just in the nature of the beast. Then you can say Perez helped him in Abu Dhabi, minister of defence. That's a second driver doing his job and this is just the team leader," Robert Doornbos began at Race Café.

Over the team radio, it became clear that Red Bull Racing had previously spoken to Verstappen about a situation where he would have to let Perez pass. The Dutchman had a clear answer: I won't do it. "They asked him something they already knew the answer to. Then you go and ask it again and you get publicly: I'm not doing that," Olav Mol continued.

Red Bull should not have asked question

"If this is true, it is also very mean of the team. They know he doesn't do it, and then they go and ask it anyway," Jack Plooij added. Renger van der Zande, however, questions this. Perhaps the team did not come to an agreement with Verstappen, which made them want to ask the question again anyway. "Maybe they didn't agree beforehand: this is what we are going to do, because the team asks it after all. If they did agree and they ask it again, then Max is right. I don't know if that is the case," said the racing driver.

Before the Mexican Grand Prix, Verstappen already revealed that he does not need to help Perez, as the Mexican is capable of driving himself to victory. Perhaps the Dutchman thought the same in Brazil, according to Mol. Perez himself could also have made sure he drove further to the front of the grid. "Perhaps he shouted: I would never in my life let anyone pass me at the finish line," said the Dutch Formula One expert.