During the qualifying session, Sergio Pérez qualified in 12th place, at which point Verstappen expressed in a press conference that Red Bull’s results largely depend on him. Furthermore, he hinted that the team’s situation might be different if he wasn’t part of the lineup and if Perez was the number 1 driver.
“Well, if I hadn’t been here today, obviously it would have been a lot different for the team.. We can see it that way,” Verstappen said in statements published by motorsport.com.
Journalists present at the press conference tried to get Verstappen’s opinion on Perez’s difficulties, to which he simply replied: “not my problem. They (Checo Pérez’s team) must work on it, but they must question that.”
Although at the start of the season, Pérez had hopes of fighting for the championship, that possibility seems to fade due to the advantage of 195 points against 126 points between the two Red Bull Racing drivers.
When it comes to points accumulation, Verstappen has taken six wins, while the Mexican pilot has achieved only two, in addition to adding two additional podiums. For his part, the Dutchman has not dropped from second place in each of the races of the season.