Sergio Perez agrees Max Verstappen is a “terrible” teammate but claims the media perception of him is wrong.
Checo became the Dutchman’s third different teammate in three years at Red Bull this season, after Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon struggled to fill the seat left by Daniel Ricciardo at the end of 2018.
So far, Perez has found Red Bull tricky with qualifying second at Imola the main highlight, but a lack of pace on race day means he has only managed a best finish of fourth and is already 48 points behind Verstappen in the standings.
“You read over and over in the media how terrible Max Verstappen is to his teammate. Well, it’s now completely clear to me why that is always said. They don’t say it for nothing,” The Mexican joked to Sky Sports at Portimao.
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However, while Perez might be enjoying little success against Verstappen, in terms of their relationship, Sergio says the 23-year-old is different to what he anticipated.
“I am positively surprised by Max’s attitude,” he explained.
“Of course, I already knew him a bit as we have been racing against each other for many years. But when you ride together for one team, you spend more time together and you get to know each other better.
“His image is very different from how he really is as a person. He is very approachable and of course, he wants to be fast and of course, he is very competitive, but I have not seen anything you hear in the media. I am very impressed with Max in that respect.”
For now, Perez is only signed on a one-year deal at Red Bull, and he acknowledges this is only likely to be a stepping stone on his career path.
“I see it as an opportunity to deliver to my potential, having a top car and a top team,” he said earlier this year.
“It’s an opportunity that will definitely open many doors. We’ll see what happens afterwards.
“I have to make sure I do the same as in the past, to deliver to the maximum, make the most of any opportunity I’m given and just enjoy.”