Max Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix but Sergio Perez, his team-mate at Red Bull Racing, believes he too had a chance to win, but was not offered the most preferred tactic.
Max Verstappen (1st): “You could say my race was split into two halves, because in the first 30 laps I was in trouble. I have to start with the fact that I flew off the track in Turn 4 and it happened quite unexpectedly. I didn’t feel like I was braking later than usual or trying to go into a corner at a higher speed.
But today there was a strong wind on the track, it surprised me, which of course was not very good. Of course I was a bit upset when, due to problems with the DRS system, I couldn’t get ahead of George Russell, although the fight with him was really interesting. Now I remember our duel with a smile, but of course I wasn’t in the best mood then.
If we are talking about problems with DRS then of course I could shout something to the team on the radio during the race, but nothing could be done. The check engine light came on, there was a beep, then I pressed the button, but the system didn’t work and it was obvious there was something wrong with it. At some point on the straight I probably pressed it fifty times, but the wing just wouldn’t open.
I tried several things: attacked the curb, didn’t, tried to open the sash a little later, but the system was just broken or intermittent so there was definitely a problem with the sash.
As for our speed, we have to evaluate it realistically: we lacked pace both on one fast lap and on the race distance. On the first segment, until I flew off the track, Charles Leclerc gradually broke away from me.
Of course we are leading the championship now, but we have to achieve maximum reliability and we have to try to add a little bit. But when we talk about the results of today’s race, everything turned out very well for our team.”
Sergio Perez (2nd): “It is still difficult for me to digest such results from the race, but the tactical schedule with three pit stops turned out to be clearly better and I also think that I have not been able to fully implement the option with two pit stops effectively stops. But in the end it is the perfect result for the team. And when we chose tactics, it was still unclear which tactic would be preferable.
After the finish I’m going to talk to the team because I want to understand this: with my two-stop tactic I could go a little faster and I’m not sure if everything was done right because I had a partner follow for a few laps. I think we should all figure out together how to behave in the next races.
In the first segment, when I lost the position to Max, they told me he would return it to me. Since I had to cover the distance with two pit stops to make it work, I thought I could beat Max and George a little earlier. However, this probably wouldn’t be enough.
Of course I enter races to fight for wins, and I think if the three pit stop tactics were chosen for me, I would win the race. But now that it is still the early stages of the season, the team has picked up a fast pace, so we just need to discuss something within the team.
I don’t have to worry about anything, I can say that the team has a great atmosphere and I really like that.”
Source: F1 News
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
