Coulthard backs Verstappen: 'The reality is that Max is an elite driver'

David Coulthard believes Max Verstappen was justified in his decision to ignore Red Bull Racing's team orders at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Moreover, he stresses that Sergio Perez was about to lose his seat in Formula 1 when Red Bull made him an offer.

"It was an open conversation and there's nothing to be interpreted – the team made a request, and the driver denied it," Coulthard said in conversation with The Mirror. He says the answer was there before, but that the team knocked on the door again hoping to get a different answer. "Being consistent in your behaviour patterns is a quality – inconsistency is what you need to watch out for, because you don't know what you're dealing with."

The Scot understands Perez's frustration, but stresses that without Red Bull he probably would not have been driving in F1. "Red Bull gave him the opportunity to come back, and a car that's nailed on to win races. He's had a fair crack of the whip to try to beat Max, and he has consistently not delivered on the same level," he continued. However, Coulthard does admire the victories Perez managed to achieve.

'If Checo doesn't like it, he can leave the team'

The former F1 driver once found himself in a similar position as Mika Hakkinen's teammate and so can sympathise with Perez, but at the same time he realised that Hakkinen deserved his two world titles because he was faster. "I chose the path which gave me a car and the opportunity to perform. If Checo doesn't like it, then he can leave the team – but where is he going?"

According to Coulthard, Perez has to accept the situation as it is. "The reality is that Max is one of the elite drivers in the world. Elite drivers like the Schumachers and Sennas didn't pass through their career without examples of stand-offs and disagreements with their teams. That's part of their DNA and part of what makes them successful," the former McLaren driver stressed.