Max Verstappen is confident Red Bull F1 teammate Sergio Perez will not need help in his fight for Lewis Hamilton for second in the drivers’ championship.

Perez sits 20 points ahead of Hamilton in the race for runner-up behind Verstappen in F1 2023.

Coincidentally, it’s 12 months on from when Verstappen refused to move over for Perez on the final lap to assist the Mexican in his battle with Charles Leclerc for P2.

Verstappen didn’t follow Red Bull’s team order because he was unhappy with Perez’s alleged deliberate crash at the Monaco Grand Prix earlier in 2022.

Ultimately, Perez went on to lose second in the drivers’ championship to Leclerc.

Red Bull have never seen their drivers finish first and second in the standings, and given their dominant car this year, Perez has no excuses.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Verstappen was asked whether he’d be willing to assist his teammate this weekend.

He replied: “At the end of the day I think it shouldn’t always be on me to get the points.

“I am confident that in Checo that he can stay ahead as I do think on average we have the faster car and I think also last year it wasn’t really well spoken about before we got into the race weekend.

“Let’s just hope we don’t get into that situation. I think it’s better for everyone.”