Ralf Schumacher believes it is "clear" that Max Verstappen and his allies in the Red Bull team want Sergio Perez to be replaced as his team-mate.
Rumours of a rift between the two have been around since last season, and went into overdrive as Verstappen ignored team orders and refused to let Perez pass in Brazil.. Despite attempts from everyone involved to play down talk of any discontent, the belief remains that they don't get along as well as Red Bull would like.
There have also been signs so far this season that Verstappen is growing frustrated over Perez's performances. The Mexican has won two of the four races so far and is hot on the Dutchman's heels in the drivers' standings.
Schumacher feels Verstappen wants Perez replaced with someone who will be more compliant. "It's difficult, and from my point of view it's clear that the Verstappen’s side wants a new team-mate. I hear these rumours everywhere," he told Speedweek.
"I see it as a problem that Perez knows – his time at Red Bull Racing will expire. He's fighting for his chance to play up front, to win, to have a say in the title. It is like this, the team-mate is always the biggest competitor. And who knows what possibilities there will be later. You can see from Lewis Hamilton how fast it goes.
"That's why Sergio is now becoming more selfish and as far as selfishness goes, Max Verstappen can't complain. Max does it very well. He's rightly number one on the team, but he also clearly defines his territory. Being his team-mate is certainly not easy – I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be."
Those words follow another claim from Schumacher, made in his Sky Germany column after last weekend's race in Azerbaijan. In it, he gave his view that Red Bull should replace Perez, despite his performances, and named two people who would be waiting in the wings to replace him.
"Sergio Perez drove strongly in Azerbaijan. He also has the potential here and there to be faster than Max Verstappen. But with a view to the world championship fight, I don't think he has the consistency of Verstappen," wrote the German. "He sometimes makes a mistake under pressure when he's not too happy with the car. Verstappen doesn't make those mistakes and so I think he'll be the better driver throughout the year.
"There are many rumours circulating in the paddock about Perez's future. Red Bull would have options. There's Yuki Tsunoda, Daniel Ricciardo is still there and there are enough drivers on the market too. If there is a troubled relationship between Verstappen and Perez then it would make sense to part ways with the Mexican."
