Selfish or selfless? Perez assures rivalry with Verstappen won't detract from team goals

Red Bull F1 driver Sergio Perez insists his friendly rivalry with team-mate Max Verstappen will never take precedence over the team's aims.

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Verstappen claimed his second World Championship last season, as Red Bull secured the Constructors' title, while Perez finished third.

Perez is eager to see his star rise in the 2023 season as he aims to fulfil his ambitions, but he has made it clear that Red Bull's goals will always be prioritised.

"I'm really working with the team, trying to maximise the full potential of our car," said Perez, as quoted by PlanetF1.

"That's the main thing, and that's the main one for us, really, to be able to deliver the results we want for this season.

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"I think we obviously have to work together as a team, and at the same time, we both want to win the championship.

"So, it's just having good compromise, putting always the team before us, and I think the competition will be really strong out there, so we really need everything we possibly can from each other.

"The strategy is clear - it's to maximise the potential of the car, and we believe we have a good car, but how good?

"We don't know what the competition are doing, we just gave our best building this car, and we hope that it is good enough to get us to win races."

The 2023 season commences at the start of March, with Bahrain the first of 23 races in the calendar extending campaign.

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