‘Rude and unsportsmanlike’: F1 world roasts Max Verstappen’s dad’s ‘petulant’ Sergio Perez snub

Max Verstappen copped a rare loss to his Red Bull teammate in Saudi Arabia and his dad’s salty reaction sent the F1 world into meltdown.

Jos Verstappen completely blanked Sergio Perez. Photo: Twitter.

Max Verstappen is facing some competition just two races into the F1 season and his dad isn’t happy about it.

Red Bull dominated the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to claim a second 1-2 of the season as Sergio Perez led from start to finish to claim his fifth career win — and fourth on a street circuit.

Watch the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix 2023 Live and ad-break free in racing on Kayo Sports. Begins 3:00PM AEDT April 3. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

Mechanical failure ruined Verstappen’s qualifying but the Dutchman drove a superb race, jumping from 15th to second in the best result he could have realistically hoped for.

A competitive beast, Verstappen made sure to score the extra point for the fastest lap of the race to ensure he had a one-point lead over Perez in the drivers’ championship (44-43 points).

Perez was mobbed by the Red Bull crew in pit lane after the victory, but one man wasn’t happy to see him win.

As Perez was hugged and high-fived by Red Bull staff, Verstappen’s father Jos completely blanked the Mexican — staring straight ahead and not even offering a smile or a pat on the back.

Jos Verstappen getting caught up in the Sergio Perez celebrations 😅 pic.twitter.com/R8vXNNQ4Cw

— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) March 19, 2023

The awkward snub didn’t go unnoticed by eagle-eyed F1 fans, who said Jos’ reaction made it clear anything other than a victory was underwhelming for the Verstappens.

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 Verstappen stood there with a face like a smacked arse despite Max giving a hell of a race after being sick all week. Second place isn’t good enough, clearly 🙄 #SaudiArabianGP

— Becky Weaver (@beckywvr_) March 19, 2023

Jos looking at Checo like pic.twitter.com/eeEoAn2xuK

— Anita Abayomi (@FLWN_) March 19, 2023

Jos Verstappen…what a sour geezer, tjo! 🫣

— Hulisani Ravele (@HulisaniRavele) March 19, 2023

JOS VERSTAPPEN’S REACTION MEME PLS NOW

— Nadia El Ferdaoussi (@nadia_dailyself) March 19, 2023

It was the first time Verstappen had finished second behind a Red Bull teammate since Daniel Ricciardo beat him in Malaysia in 2016.

“Of course I recovered for second which is good and in general everyone in the team is happy but personally I’m not happy because I’m not here to be second,” Verstappen said.

“Especially when you are working hard back at the factory to make sure you arrive here in a good state and making sure everything is spot on.

“You have to do a recovery race, which I like — I mean I don’t mind doing it but when you’re fighting for a championship and especially when it looks like it’s just between two cars, we have to make sure that the two cars are reliable.”

Jos Verstappen completely blanked Sergio Perez. Photo: Twitter.

Being Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull is the toughest gig in F1 — as Perez, Ricciardo, Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly well know.

Perez is contracted with Red Bull until the end of 2024 but with Ricciardo on board as reserve driver and waiting in the wings, Perez is under pressure to be the ideal supporting act to Verstappen.

The 33-year-old has been a perfect foil to Verstappen in his two title-winning seasons, but there were signs of a breakdown between the two Red Bull drivers last year when Verstappen refused to let Perez past him at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Tensions also flared last year when Verstappen’s mother reportedly accused Perez of cheating on his wife in a since deleted post.

But Red Bull shouldn’t have too much to worry about if they keep the 1-2 finishes coming, with daylight second ahead of Mercedes and Ferrari for car speed.

Vertsappen and Perez celebrate Red Bull’s 1-2 in Saudi Arabia with Head of Performance Engineering Ben Waterhouse. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Fernando Alonso crossed the line third and was celebrating his second straight podium for Aston Martin and his 100th overall before he was robbed of third place.

Race officials handed Alonso a ten-second time penalty for lining up outside of his grid box while serving a penalty during the race.

The decision elevated Mercedes’ George Russell up into third.

An early pit stop to replace a damaged front wing cruelled Oscar Piastri’s hopes of a top 10 finish, but he drove an impressive race — overtaking McLaren teammate Lando Norris to finish 15th.