Jenson Button 'amazed' by Max Verstappen team order own goal

Verstappen in Brazil — Photo: © LAT Images

São Paulo Grand Prix

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Button 'amazed' by Verstappen team order own goal

Verstappen refused orders to allow Perez past on the final lap

Sam Hall

Wednesday 16 November 2022 08:00

Jenson Button has conceded Max Verstappen missed the opportunity to leave Brazil as the hero by refusing team orders from Red Bull.

Verstappen and Red Bull have secured the drivers' and constructors' world titles and both arrived at Interlagos stating the importance of clinching second position for Sergio Perez.

Despite this rhetoric, however, the Dutchman ignored clear instructions from his team to move aside and allow Perez through on Sunday, a decision that dropped the 32-year-old behind Charles Leclerc to third.

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Speaking on Sky Sports' Any Driven Monday, Button said: “Max could have come out of this so well – the world champion letting his team-mate pass so he can fight for second place in the championship. It’s amazing, isn’t it?

“But you’ve got to ask Red Bull. If they have discussed this beforehand, as Max said, why are they asking him to do it in the race?

“It feels like they haven’t discussed it properly before the race weekend or before the race as a team and that seems like the bigger issue.

"It seems like Red Bull has put itself in this situation which definitely is negative marketing."

Through early contact with Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen had battled to recover positions, gaining ground as his team-mate dropped back in the closing stages.

As well as suffering front wing damage and being forced to pit, the two-time champion was handed a five-second penalty for his contact after the stewards ruled he was predominantly to blame.

“It could have been a perfect end to the race," added Button.

"The mistake in the early part of the race with Lewis, whose ever fault it was, it was an incident that we didn’t want to see, but to come out of it and say, ‘Here you go Checo, here’s a couple of points and now you’re second in the championship’. It’s awesome.

“But that story is not the story that we have right now.”