Sergio Perez snubs Max Verstappen when asked to name fastest F1 driver over one lap

Sergio Perez has snubbed his Red Bull racing teammate Max Verstappen when naming the fastest Formula 1 driver over one lap.

Perez and Verstappen have raced together at Red Bull for four seasons after the Mexican driver replaced Alex Albon in 2021.

In that time, the pair appear to built a strong relationship, with Perez often assisting Verstappen during his pursuit of the Drivers Championship title, which he has won in every season since Perez joined the team.

However, despite his clear respect for his team mate, Perez recently snubbed the Dutchman when asked who was the fastest Formula One driver over one lap.

While speaking to ESPN Mexico, via F1 Oversteer, the 34-year-old was asked to build his ultimate F1 driver, naming one driver for each of the qualities that make up a driver.

And when it came to naming a driver for the fastest lap, Perez opted for British driver Lewis Hamilton instead of Verstappen.

This may come as a surprise to some after Verstappen claimed claimed nine out of the 23 fastest lap awards in the 2023 season.

In this season, he is currently tied second with several other drivers, including Hamilton, with two fastest laps, while McLaren's Lando Norris leads the table for the most fastest lap awards this season, having claimed the award four times.

However, the gap between Verstappen and Hamilton's one lap speed perhaps becomes more clear when considering the number of pole positions each driver has claimed during qualifying.

Surprisingly, despite boasting 61 race wins, Verstappen has achieved just 40 pole positions whilst Hamilton has 104, just one less than his total number of race wins.

Sergio Perez will compete in his home race in Mexico City this weekend. (Image: Getty)

However, while Perez decided to snub Verstappen for the fastest lap part of his perfect F1 driver, he included his teammate elsewhere, picking him for the aggression category.

The Mexican driver chose himself for the tyre management, mentality and coming back from last place categories, while F1 legend Ayrton Senna was chosen as the number one driver for overtaking.

But Verstappen will have the opportunity to prove his teammate wrong and claim the fastest lap this weekend as the Mexican Grand Prix gets underway in Mexico City.