Sergio Perez has a simple warning for his Red Bull team – if Max Verstappen is not a team player this year, then he won't be either.
Red Bull look to be heading into the new season as the clear favourites for the title. After a remarkably dominant 2022 campaign, they showed up to pre-season testing with the best car and couldn't have asked for a much smoother preparation.
It may well be the case that the only team that can stop Red Bull this year is themselves. Specifically, the relationship between their two drivers appears to still be frayed following the events of the Brazilian Grand Prix last year.
Verstappen was told to let his team-mate through on the final lap of the race but refused the order, prompting a seething response from Perez. Both drivers and the team have insisted that all is forgiven and forgotten, but there has been little concrete evidence of that so far.
And Perez has fanned the flames again with his latest comments about his partnership with Verstappen. The Mexican has made it clear that he is perfectly willing to be selfish this year if he feels his team-mate is doing the same.
He told Fox Sports in Mexico: "It's always important to work as a team and obviously if I see that I don't receive support when I need it, I won't give it either.
"I think we are very clear about the important thing, it will be a very intense season, surely with six cars fighting for the championship, so it will be very important to work as a team in many races."
Challenging the double world champion for the title this year will be tough for the Mexican, but he says he is up for the challenge. Perez added: "Without a doubt this year will determine many things, how good I am, how much I want to continue in the sport, without a doubt it is a crucial year in my career."
And if he can't rise to the challenge, then he could walk away from both Red Bull and Formula 1. "If you don't have 100 percent desire to get up, train every day, take care of what you eat all year, everything you have to give to sport, if you don't have that 100 percent energy, I don't see myself being here at 90 percent."
