Sergio Perez swiftly deleted his social media post after firing a stern warning to Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen.
After qualifying in pole position for last weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah, Mexican driver Perez went on to win the race ahead of Verstappen, who finished second after starting 15th.
The win in Saudi Arabia was Perez’s fifth Formula 1 victory and on the back of the win, he appeared to declare war on Verstappen.
He tweeted: “It was tougher than I thought, but in the end I'm happy to get my fifth victory in F1. Very happy with the result of the team. We are going to keep pushing very hard. I want to be champion.”
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However, the Mexican quickly deleted the post before tweeting out a similar message, but this time without the line “I want to be champion”.
Fans feel there are rising tensions in the Red Bull camp as Perez and Verstappen are both eager to get their hands on the F1 world championship.
Reigning champion Verstappen vented his frustrations after the race in Jeddah.
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He said: “It's not only about the pace of the car, we need to make sure we are reliable without any issues. My first weekend was not very clean because of just the big balance shift from testing to the race weekend, some other things which were going on in the background.
“Now again, after three positive practice sessions, I have an issue in qualifying. Of course, I recovered to second which is good. In general the whole feeling in the team, everyone is happy – but personally I'm not happy because I'm not here to be second.”
Last season, the pair already shared an awkward moment after Verstappen was ordered to let Perez pass during the Brazilian Grand Prix, but the Dutchman refused.
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On the team radio, Verstappen said: “I told you already last summer, guys, don't ask that again to me. Okay? Are we clear about that? I gave my reasons, and I stand by it.”
Whilst an unhappy Perez said: “Thank you for that guys, thank you. This shows who [Verstappen] really is.”
Topics: Max Verstappen, Formula 1, Red Bull Racing
Marcus Chan