Good talent management practices assert, and Inés Temple can contradict me if I'm wrong, that teamwork and respect towards coworkers are vital for a good work environment. Companies invest significant amounts in training and team-building activities to foster harmony among their teams, as this success will bring greater benefits for everyone. It is understood that a healthy atmosphere generates comfort and, in the long run, not only improves productivity but also reduces turnover. In other words, fewer people leave the company. However, in a competitive job like being a Formula One driver, where there are few seats, finite contracts, and salaries that reach seven figures, teams couldn't care less if their drivers get along. In fact, often in the quest for high competition, teams promote rivalry among their drivers to bring out the best in them on the track. Well, in Red Bull, this motivation tactic is getting out of hand with the Verstappen - Pérez rivalry, and we are only two races into the season.
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Checo can't hide his discontent, and Max has a colossal ego that makes him incapable of understanding the word empathy. Subordination relationships between drivers have always existed in the category: Schumacher-Barrichello, Vettel-Webber, Hamilton-Bottas. Choose your favorite pair, but there was always a number one and a number two, and as the championship progressed, preferences became more evident due to the ambition to bet on the driver closest to the title. Unfortunately, the 2022 season ended with the widespread feeling that Max's ambition worked against Checo's dream of finishing as runner-up. It felt like Verstappen didn't know how to repay the Mexican's loyalty on the track, and even worse, he showed no regret or remorse in his statements. Months later, it is clear that their relationship is broken, and as long as the qualifying conditions remain unchanged, without an evident favorite, the team will have to see how both fight mercilessly. Red Bull has said they will let them fight, and if one loses pace, this premise could end up causing problems with retirements, issues in pit stops, and even clashes. The days of 2021 when Checo was the loyal Minister of Defense are long gone.
The distance between them is said to have widened further after Verstappen's post-season statements, where he affirmed that: "Sometimes, drivers have to accept that the guy next to them is better than you, like Bottas (at Mercedes) did. Some people can't accept it, and then everything starts to go wrong. You can't live in a fairy tale." Since that interview, the drivers' entourages claim that everything has simply shattered. The position of supporting driver always existed, but at least we saw a complicit game of respect from the designated driver towards the star. A gratuitous compliment, a bit of modesty, an intention of camaraderie. They call it good customs. Those customs that are currently absent in Red Bull are causing more harm to the team than its own rivals.