Max Verstappen’s unintentional dig at Sergio Perez in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix cooldown room

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As has been the case so often this season, the Sao Paulo Grand Prix highlighted the gulf in quality between Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.

Max Verstappen had nothing to prove going into the Sao Paulo Grand Prix as a three-time world champion.

But steering his Red Bull from 17th on the grid to a race victory – including a 20-second lead over 2nd-place Esteban Ocon – was the performance that appears to have clinched his latest title.

Lando Norris now needs to score on average 21 points more than Verstappen to win his maiden title which simply doesn’t seem possible when you consider that the Dutchman has only missed out on scoring points once this season after retiring from the race in Australia.

A victory for Verstappen at the next race in Las Vegas will secure the championship but Red Bull don’t have the fastest car in dry conditions, so it may be tricky for him to secure the championship on the top step of the podium.

In contrast, it was another disappointing weekend for Sergio Perez who is struggling to justify his position at Red Bull.

While Lewis Hamilton praised Verstappen for his drive at Interlagos, he kept Perez at bay to prevent the Mexican from adding to the single point he scored in the Sprint Race.

Ted Kravitz believes Perez’s seat is safe until the end of the season, although whether he’ll be on the grid in 2025 is another matter.

However, Verstappen made a subtle and perhaps unintentional dig at Perez while in the cooldown room after the race.

Max Verstappen’s unintentional dig at Sergio Perez after the Brazilian Grand Prix

Verstappen was watching back the highlights of the race alongside Alpine pair Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon in the cooldown room and was talking through how he managed to win the race from so far down the grid.

The Dutchman said: “I had a really good start and I think I passed like three or four cars in total.”

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

A clip of Perez spinning on lap two then appears on the screen and Verstappen continues: “You know, I didn’t even see him! I didn’t even see Checo during the race.”

This was particularly concerning for the Mexican driver considering he started five positions ahead of his teammate for Sunday’s Grand Prix.

However, Perez found himself behind the Dutchman before the end of the first lap and his spin meant he was never in contention to catch up to the triple-world champion even with a car at his disposal that his teammate proved was capable of exceptional feats in the wet.

Sergio Perez and Liam Lawson clash again in battle for second Red Bull seat

RB promoted Liam Lawson into Daniel Ricciardo’s seat after the Singapore Grand Prix to once again assess his Formula 1 credentials.

Lawson has been tipped as a potential replacement for Perez and he once again finished ahead of his rival.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Sergio Perez’s life outside F1 from net worth to nickname

Lawson was left frustrated with Perez’s conduct in the Sprint Race where the Mexican came out on top.

However, the young Kiwi added more points to his tally over the course of the weekend which will be another tick beside his name when Red Bull decide which team he should be racing for in 2025.

Verstappen not even noticing Perez as he produced one of the best races of his career is far from ideal but sums up his season.