Sergio Perez landed a win in the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix which does not come off as a surprise to the fans given the kind of fine performance he has demonstrated throughout time, however, the reaction from Jos Verstappen told a different story altogether. His teammate Max Verstappen‘s qualifying was disrupted by a mechanical issue, but he still had an excellent race, moving up from P15 to P2, which is quite remarkable.
Verstappen, a fierce competitor, made sure to earn the additional point for the fastest lap of the race to give himself a one-point advantage over Perez in the drivers’ standings (44-43 points). Perez led from start to finish to win the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for Red Bull, giving him his fifth career victory—and fourth on a street track.
Jos Verstappen’s cold reaction to Perez’s victory
When the whole Red Bull team was overjoyed and surrounded Perez to greet him in the pit lane after the win, one man among them wasn’t pleased. It was none other than Jos Verstappen. Sergio Perez was hauled out by Jos Verstappen just after the Mexican had won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Although Max Verstappen’s father nodded at the Mexican driver, he avoided joining the Red Bull staff’s ecstatic celebrations.
The embarrassing snub was just not missed by shrewd F1 fans, who said Jos’ response demonstrated that the Verstappens would be disappointed with anything less than a triumph. The former Benetton athlete’s response was comparable to that of his son, who was also observed acting unimpressed and demonstrating poor sportsman spirit.
Jos Verstappen getting caught up in the Sergio Perez celebrations 😅 pic.twitter.com/R8vXNNQ4Cw
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) March 19, 2023
Being Verstappen’s teammate is a tight job at Red Bull, as he is a self-centered driver with less empathy toward the team. Since 2016, this was the first time the Red Bull teammate had placed second behind Verstappen. In Verstappen’s two championship-winning seasons, Perez has been the ideal counterpart to him. Nevertheless, there were indications of a breach between the two Red Bull drivers last year when Verstappen refused to allow Perez to pass him at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
It is evident that the Verstappen family is not happy with the tough competition they receive from Perez. There was a period of hostility among the drivers last year when Max’s mother, Sophie Kumpen, claimed that the Mexican driver had cheated on his wife in a post that she later deleted.
Fans react to Jos Verstappen’s cold attitude
When the internet was swarmed by the clips from the race, which led to Jos’ reaction being captured and brought under the spotlight, fans took to social media to share their opinion on this situation.
Here are some examples of fan reactions to Jos Verstappen snubbing Perez.
Jos Verstappen blanking Checo while all around him celebrate – how rude and unsportsmanlike. I know they have differences but to not congratulate him is petulant and not what #F1 is about – a really poor example to set to younger generations.
— Alex Duffy (@whatalexthinks) March 19, 2023
Jos such a sore loser hahah#josverstappen #MaxVerstappen #Formula1 #SaudiArabianGP #F1TVpro pic.twitter.com/LalUFGcfuM
— Chessy024 (@Chessy0241) March 19, 2023
Spot the Difference pic.twitter.com/Qvzre2d1um
— F1 MEMES (@f1trolls_) March 20, 2023
Fans went ahead and compared the fathers of the Red Bull drivers, and their reactions, highlighting the look on Antonio Perez’s face when Max won a race.
What a pathetic little, nasty & despicable “man“ #josverstappen is-
Both @Max33Verstappen and #josverstappen are going to destroy the team. @redbullracing @CentralFOXMX @FOXSportsMX @f1trolls_ @F1
— GCA MD PhD (@jgca68) March 19, 2023
His dad, #josverstappen is a Bully who beats women and even tried to drive over his ex.
He should be banned from the F1 terrain because he use a car as a weapon— Karina (@karinaalkmaar) March 19, 2023
Well, nobody can’t expect a better behavior from a mediocre driver like #JosVerstappen who is only remembered because a terrible maneuver against Juan Pablo Montoya #F12023 #FormulaUno #Formula1 #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/9RAm9DaJv0
— Lector (@Lector_Espiado) March 20, 2023
As they say “the apple never falls far from the tree”, Max Verstappen too had a similar reaction. Despite being happy about receiving a podium, the Dutch driver expressed his feelings about his teammate’s victory at Jeddah and went on to say “I am not here to be second”.
With Ricciardo on board as the reserve driver and waiting in the shadows, Perez is under pressure to be the ideal supporting act to Verstappen despite having a contract with Red Bull that runs through the end of 2024.
The Mexican driver too said that he is “ready to fight” for the world championship post the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix win and everyone is eager to see more victories from him.