Karun Chandhok warns Verstappen: “Short-sighted, he might need Perez’s help"
Verstappen refused to obey Red Bull’s request to allow his teammate Sergio Perez to overtake him into sixth place at last weekend’s F1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The refusal was reportedly due to ill feeling over the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this year when Verstappen believes Perez cost him a chance to win.
“Honestly, I don’t understand it because he’s won the world championship,” ex-F1 driver Chandhok told Sky.
“I think it’s a little bit short-sighted as well because you know he might need Checo’s help next year in the world championship battle.
“He needed him last year in Abu Dhabi, he needed him at other times this year, so for me that’s a little bit of a short-sighted decision.
“I think that was a racing driver thinking about himself and putting a stake in the ground of ‘I am the number one driver in this team’.
“At that moment, as the driver in the cockpit, he’s not thinking about all of these other factors here, so this was very much about him establishing himself as the number one driver in that team.”
Red Bull were hoping to earn Perez extra points in his bid to finish second in the championship, behind Verstappen.
Instead, Perez and Charles Leclerc are tied in joint-second in the F1 standings ahead of the season-finale F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Verstappen raged on his team radio when asked to let Perez pass: “Guys, don’t ask me again. Are we clear about that? I gave my reasons. And I stand by it.”
Perez said via his own team radio about Verstappen: "It shows who he really is."
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
