Verstappen and Checo in Brazil, 2022 - V - Hamilton and Bottas in Hungary, 2017.

While the 2022 Formula 1 season has been an utterly dominated by Max Verstappen, a championship one-two still eludes Redbull. The weight of such an unfortunate record was clearly evident at the penultimate race of 2022, in Brazil, as the team fought to bring Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez home ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc - both of whom could still take second place in the championship.

In a ‘red mist’ moment Max clashed with Hamilton, resulting in a repair pit stop and a five second penalty… and so began Verstappen’s steady climb up the field.

With a few laps remaining Max caught Perez, who was asked to give up the place so Verstappen could pass Leclerc, and ‘net’ more points off him than Sergio would lose by letting Max pass. Perez was told that if Max made no headway the positions would revert. Max could indeed take no further positions, and yet he stubbornly refused to yield the place.

“Let Checo through, let Checo through… Max, let Checo through please.” – Christian Horner …And on the slow-down lap - “Max what happened?”

Flustered and annoyed Verstappen harshly replied, “I told you already… you guys don’t ask that again to me. Ok? Are we clear about that?... I gave my reason and I stand by it.”

… Checo’s verdict was a straightforward, “It shows who he really is.”

Apparently the story’s backdrop concerns the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix. Verstappen, it seems, is convinced that once Checo was ahead in qualifying he purposefully crashed to stop Max improving… and he was therefore able to win the race. This claim makes little sense as Sergio qualified third behind both Ferraris, not on pole. Furthermore, Checo has no history of such Briatore ‘esq.’ antics.

“Winning at all costs is actually for losers” (The Jehu Plan: The Second Stint), and taking sixth place at all costs, to the detriment of your teammate who graciously ‘rear gunned’ your 2021 championship win (like no teammate before), is selfish and bizarre at best… Meanwhile Mercedes were romping to a one-two with Lewis ‘holding fort’ in George Russell’s tracks as the young Briton took a superb maiden F1 victory. This can’t have been easy for Lewis. If a RedBull or Ferrari had been ahead you can bet he’d have been all over them.

Verstappen’s antics are also a far cry from Mercedes’ team-play when Lewis willingly handed second position back to Bottas at the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix, after he also couldn’t make any headway against Kimi Räikkönen, who led in the Ferrari (an action that potentially could have a considerable cost down the line). That day Toto Wolf said,

“We could lose the championship because of those three points… but this spirit has made us win three championships, and it’s going to make us win more… values are important under which you operate, and we stand by those.”

And win more they did! That day in Hungary Verstappen ran right behind Bottas (and then Hamilton) to the flag, yet the example was ignored.

The values we stand by define us and the victories we take. So what defines us?... Team spirit, faith, servitude and generosity or selfishness, autonomy and insecurity?

Alvin Davies, November 2022.

Find the full story of Hungary 2017 in - The Jehu Plan: Honouring Bottas - Day 18.