Max Verstappen says all good with Sergio Perez, Red Bull entering finale

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Formula One champion Max Verstappen says he has resolved a conflict involving Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez and is prepared to help him at the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi.

Verstappen refused a team order to let Perez through for sixth place at the Brazilian Grand Prix last Sunday and said on Thursday his reasons will “stay between myself and the team.”

“It was about something that happened earlier in the season, and I already explained that (at the previous race in) Mexico, and the team understood and agreed,” he said.

“Nothing had been said to me about a potential swap” of the positions in advance in Brazil, he said. “I think they should have known my response already from what had been said the week before.”

Since then, Red Bull has held talks to clear the air between the drivers, Verstappen said.

He has long since wrapped up his second world championship (as well as the F1 victory record) and Red Bull has sealed the constructors’ title. The team wants to earn second place in the standings for Perez ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Verstappen indicated he would be willing to help in Sunday’s season finale in Abu Dhabi.

“As a team we have never finished first and second. So if we could achieve that, that would be amazing,” Verstappen said “And, for sure, if the opportunity is there to help, as a team, you know, we’re going to do that.”

Red Bull defended Verstappen as “an open and fair team player.”

“As a team we made some mistakes in Brazil,” Red Bull said in a statement.

Statement from @redbullracing #F1. pic.twitter.com/hNxHBoUOKa

— Jennie Gow (@JennieGow) November 17, 2022

“We had not envisaged the situation that unfolded on the last lap, and we had not agreed a strategy for such a scenario before the race.

“Regretfully, Max was only informed at the final corner of the request to give up position without all the necessary information being relayed. This put Max, who has always been an open and fair team player, in a compromising situation with little time to react which was not our intention.”

Red Bull said it accepts “Max’s reasoning” about the incident and condemned abusive comments on social media aimed at both drivers, their family members and the team.

“Death threats, hate mail, vitriol towards extended family members is deplorable,” Red Bull added. “We value inclusion and want a safe space for everyone to work in and enjoy our sport. The abuse needs to stop.”

Asked if abuse ever led him to question his future in F1, Verstappen said: “It’s not only related to that, to be honest, but I won’t be here when I’m 40, that’s for sure.”

Vicki Golden has earned a career worthy of a thousand stories and 805 Beer tells at least one of them, as “Inverted Perspective” premiered March 30 on the company’s website and YouTube channel.

Golden did more to break the glass ceiling in SuperMotocross than she ever thought possible. She knows this because riders have never felt the need to explain any of her accomplishments with the disclaimer, “for a girl”.

At this point in Golden’s career, she’s been the first woman to finish top 10 in AMA Arenacross Lites, the first woman to qualify in the Fast 40 in Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the first woman to compete in freestyle Moto X competition, earning a bronze medal by doing so.

Her love for moto came from childhood while she watched her dad and brother ride. By seven she was on her bike and making waves throughout Southern California.

Golden, 30, is still madly in love with the sport and has no plans on moving away but her career is already one to talk about. 805 Beer’s film series wanted to do exactly that.

“I’m taken aback by it all,” Golden told NBC Sports about the documentary. “It’s just crazy to see your story, it’s one thing to live your life and battle everything that comes about but it’s another to just sit there and talk about it.”

805 approached Golden about the feature by asking, “Do you even realize that what you do, and your story is special?”

Golden took the question as a blank canvas to map out the highs and lows of her career and life.

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The title “Inverted Perspective” came from a brainstorming session with Dominick Russo and it highlights Golden’s outlook on the sport of SuperMotocross and her life in general.

“My whole life, my whole career was thinking differently and looking at things that shouldn’t be done and aren’t there, while being able to make a place for myself, where no one thought there should be a place,” Golden said. “It’s inspiring someone to think in different ways. It sums up my life.”

*Vicki Golden is not “fast for a girl”; she’s just fast. – 805 Beer*

While Golden is no stranger to the spotlight, this was the first time she’s been fully involved with the storytelling and creation of a feature about herself.

“It’s not like a full new experience,” Golden said. “Obviously, you get your standard questions about your upbringing and accomplishments, but I’ve never really put into perspective things that happened in my past with my dad and putting that to light. Also, certain other things that maybe got overlooked in previous interviews or films. I wanted to touch on these and Dom wanted to create a story. It’s just cool to see it come to light, it’s a nearly impossible thing to tell somebody’s life story in 40 minutes.”

Golden’s father was left paralyzed after an ATV accident, robbing him the opportunity to ride again. This happened a few months before the father-daughter duo was set to compete in the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Nationals when Vicki was 12. While she might have been unable to grasp the severity at the time, it’s something she carries with her. Golden continues to ride in his honor.

Years later, an accident in 2018 nearly sidelined the then 25-year-old Vicki when a freestyle accident almost resulted in the amputation of her lower leg.

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Golden 805 Beer — *Vicki Golden has ridden a variety of disciplines in SuperMotocross, which gives her a unique perspective. – 805 Beer*

“Inverted Perspective” highlights her father’s diligence in helping Vicki continue with her career and the kindness and strength he carried while fighting his own battle.

“My dad was the entire reason that I started riding in the first place,” Golden said. “So, to honor his memory and to honor what we went through and how hard he pushed to keep our dream alive and keep everything going – in that sense then, it was really special to be able to honor him and talk about him.”

The 40-minute feature was filmed entirely in black and white, a stark contrast from the oversaturated world of motocross where the brighter the suit the easier it is for fans to find their rider and follow him in the race. By filming in monochrome Russo and Golden had the chance to focus on the race and track from a different perspective.

“It was cool to be able to film it differently,” Golden said. “It created a challenge in the sense of what was going to be more visually impactful for the film.

“I couldn’t be here without the companies that back me but at the same time, it’s not like the logos or colors disappeared, it’s just different lights shed on different spots. It’s just a cool way to do it and to take color away and still be impactful. When you think of black and white, you think of old school, the OG way of doing things.”

Max Verstappen: All good with Sergio Perez, Red Bull entering season finale

Vicki Golden and 805 Beer tell a unique story from an Inverted Perspective

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