Martin Brundle has criticised world champion Max Verstappen after he refused to bow to team orders and let Sergio Perez pass him at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The Dutchman was lying sixth in the closing stages, with his teammate behind him, when it became clear he was too far off the pace to haul down the top five. With Perez looking to boost his chances of finishing second in the Championship, Verstappen was told "Max, let Checo through please," by his race engineer.
He declined to oblige though, and after the race said over team radio: "I told you already last summer, guys, don't ask that again to me. Okay? Are we clear about that? I gave my reasons, and I stand by it."
A clearly irate Perez then weighed in himself over radio, saying his partner had showed "who he really is." And now iconic commentator Brundle has taken aim at Verstappen's apparent selfishness.
"This is not a popularity contest, it's the brutal world of F1, but you still need friends and respect," he wrote in his Sky Sports column. "Giving Sergio a meagre sixth place when the championship is already in his pocket would have cost Max nothing. It's the second boomerang in two races which has come back to hit Max pretty hard."
The incident could also be considered ironic given the finale to the 2021 Championship in Abu Dhabi. That day, a resilient Perez helped his teammate by holding up Lewis Hamilton for a prolonged period before pitting, allowing Verstappen to bridge the gap to his rival.
It's a notion that wasn't lost on Brundle, who added: "Max will also no doubt remember how Sergio held up Lewis in Abu Dhabi last year, which played a key role in Lewis not being able to pit for fresh tyres under the safety car.
"And how he fought Lewis so hard in Baku, along with other examples which helped Max seal the 2021 title. I believe he called him a 'legend' back then."
Perez will now head to the Yas Marina this weekend level on points with Leclerc, and despite the drama at Interlagos, Team Principal Christian Horner insisted his drivers would be working together in the season finale : "We go into Abu Dhabi as a team to do the best we can for Checo to achieve second place, and Max will fully support that."
