Will Verstappen-Perez become a new rivalry? 'High level of respect'

Could old times be revived with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez? Think Senna and Prost, or Rosberg and Hamilton. The time when two Red Bull Racing teammates would decide at the sharp end who takes the world title? In previous cases, such a scenario was good for internal strife and a lot of hassle.

For now, there is no sign of any tension, although the difference in the championship standings is only six points. "Checo this year has really been on it, he's been really performing well and that's great to see," Verstappen said at the press conference after the Baku Grand Prix, where GPblog also joined in.

Perez is more confident

"He's feeling more and more confident in the car and for the team as well, we are really enjoying it. And I think Checo and I, we’re having a good time. And that's also what is very important: you need to acknowledge and also appreciate when somebody has done a great job. And that's exactly what happened today. And we will continue fighting for the rest of the season but that's normal, we have done that our whole life."

Perez agreed with his teammate's words. "Yeah, I think there is a very high level of respect between Max and myself, and the whole team. The level we are operating at, we’re pushing each other really hard, we obviously want to beat each other, I want to win the championship as much as Max wants but there is a lot of respect between us." 

"And I feel in a way, we're very similar in the way we approach or think about the sport so I do not believe he will change.  We will be fighting each other like we did today, as much and as hard as we possibly can. But I think with a very high level of respect to us and to our team," Perez concluded.