Sergio Pérez revealed that he has been jealous of teammates in the past, but praised his relationship with Max Verstappen at Red Bull
After a very successful first year, the relationship between Sergio Pérez and his teammate, reigning champion Max Verstappen, has cooled down in recent weeks. The Mexican revealed that the RB-18 updates made him more uncomfortable with the car, and Verstappen hit back by saying that the modifications were not made just for him.
Now, Perez has admitted to LadBibleTV that he has felt jealous with other teammates, but that this is not the case with the Dutchman. Czech knows how difficult it is to recognize the merit of a rival, but stresses that his relationship with Max is one of mutual respect and pride.
"I think in the past I have felt jealous of teammates. Because you obviously want to win, but when the guy next to you wins you have to give credit, he was better than you, he won and you have to accept that and also be proud of your teammate," Pérez told.
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"And I think not everybody can accept that. But I think with us, when I win, when Max wins, we are always happy for each other and that is a good thing between us," said the Mexican.
Verstappen also shares the same feeling. For the defending champion, his relationship with Czech is the best he has had with a teammate since he arrived in Formula 1, even though he has had good times with Daniel Ricciardo.
"I started very young in Formula 1 and I think I also had a very good relationship with Daniel [Ricciardo]. But at that time I was only 18 or 19, and I think I'm a completely different person now," the Dutchman explained.
"So I would say that my relationship today with the Czech is definitely the best, just because I'm much more mature, and I think that helps a lot in the way you relate to each other," Max concluded.
The Red Bull duo is back on track this Sunday (24) for the French GP at the Paul Ricard circuit, with full coverage by GRANDE PRÊMIO.