Quote:
Originally Posted by GuidoK
This is Van Haren's story (dutch, but with automatic subs translatable to english.... or should I say dunglish...):
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Verstappen in his own words - post-race interview with Sky:
The allegation in the tweet posted by Dutch F1 reporter Erik van Haren was already bold (see
here).
But his Telesport TV interview is a bomb shell: he unreservedly claims that Perez deliberately crashed in Q3 of the Monaco qualies of May 28, 2022. No cautious
"maybe",
"probably" or
"possibly", but
"100%",
"fact" and
"pure intent" (also explicitly denying that his claim is
"suggestive").
Quick translation of a couple of things the Dutch F1 reporter said/claimed:
- when Verstappen was radioed to let Perez pass during the final lap of the 2022 Brazil race, the reporter "already knew for sure at that moment" that Verstappen would refuse "and that has everything to do with Monaco earlier this year";
- he claims that a couple of weeks ago, "I believe in Mexico" (the Mexico race weekend of Oct 28-30, 2022), Verstappen was internally asked whether under such (hypothetical) scenario he would let Perez pass, but Verstappen "re-iterated" that he would refuse to do so "because you know why"; Red Bull internally "knew" that Verstappen would definitely not change his mind on this subject and that "what happened in Monaco is not forgotten";
- he said that, after Max Verstappen secured the 2022 WDC title in Japan (Oct 9, 2022), Jos Verstappen told his newspaper that "also for him, Monaco was the turning point";
- he added that during the Azerbaijan race weekend (June 10-12, 2022; the next race after the Monaco race weekend of May 27-29, 2022) he was "by chance standing next to Red Bull" and he heard Helmut Marko ask where Perez was; after returning from the press conference, Perez was escorted upstairs where he was "summoned to explain" ("op het matje geroepen" is a Dutch expression for being ordered to explain alleged inappropriate behavior); the reporter added: "And apparently, there, Perez has internally admitted that he had deliberately spun during the final run of the qualifications. He had P3, so it was not about pole position. He saw on his steering wheel via the delta time that he was not faster underway. He thought « I park over there » and so Verstappen - who was faster underway - can no longer pass.";
- Perez went on to win the Monaco race and the reporter claims that "Verstappen has always remembered this";
- he added: "People can say: « Suggestive ». However, we know this already since months. It's internally already known." and "The onboard images of Perez, the data, and you clearly see that only in that moment he immediately floors the gas pedal in the middle of the turn ahead of the tunnel. Yeah, that was pure intent. And this has nothing to do with speculation, again, this is just a fact and he has also internally admitted this.";
- he also said: "Inside Verstappen's mind there is a difference between helping someone and truly deliberately screwing someone. And in his view that has happened in Monaco. And you can factually construe this. And he does not forget this.";
- futhermore: "Max Verstappen is not in F1 to make friends. He's a man of principles, a pure winner. And notwithstanding that it's only about P6, he has already internally told this, and he's not gonna change his mind in the final lap at Interlagos.";
- he concluded that "regardless of everything you may think about it, I do not understand why, given that he had internally already pointed this out a couple of times, to still think that via the onboard radio he would then [you could make him] agree.";
- and finally about his claim that the incident is related to Monaco, he concluded: "Was it Monaco? He [Verstappen] replied something along the lines « You can decide that. I'm not gonna say it ». Well, I just know for 100% that that's case. He's not saying it, but we are there to disclose it to the world.".
Critical moment:
Innuendo, conjecture or truth ? None of us over here has info to make sound statements about this matter. But if an FIA investigation would conclude the reporter's bold claim of alleged foul play by Perez during Q3 at 2022 Monaco race weekend to be established, Perez and Red Bull risk to be in hot water. Also, if the claim is false, Perez and Red Bull could take action because of slander and reputational damage. IMHO the FIA should look into this - it's about basic principles of fair play and sportsmanship.
2006 Monaco race weekend: Schumacher DSQ'd by Race Stewards regarding the controversial qualification incident at the Rascasse corner: