Sergio Perez Medium’s tires were very weak

Sergio Perez started from pole in Miami and finished second, but he’s quite happy with the result…

Q: Sergio, 30th career podium is a great result, but how do you rate this race, which started from pole position?
Sergio Perez: In the beginning everything went well, but then the Medium tires started to break and I had to save rubber. I couldn’t rely on these tires – and I saw how fast Max approached starting on Hard. At that moment I realized that the race will not be easy for me.

When I switched to Hard, Max was already very fast and I couldn’t make a gap. He got too close and stepped forward. We fought a little, everything was clean. We got an excellent result for the team and Max deserved to win because he was faster that day.

Q: Why did the Medium tires fail so quickly on Sunday?
Sergio Perez: I don’t know if the night rain affected Medium more than Hard. But yes, they were quite fragile, it was very easy to damage them. For now I can’t say anything more.

Q: Yesterday you said you weren’t happy with the car in practice, but in the end the rubber decided everything in the race?
Sergio PerezA: Yes, I didn’t have full control over Medium. I don’t know how Max’s race would have changed had he followed the same strategy, but on Sunday his car was clearly faster and I have to understand what went wrong during the race. It’s simple: if you lack speed in a race, you can’t win it.

Q: Have you discussed the possibility of starting on Hard?
Sergio Perez: No. If you start from pole, the choice of Hard is very risky, you understand that this risk may not work because of the possible exit of the safety car. Plus, none of us expected the Medium bands to be so weak from a distance… that’s why everyone started it. Unfortunately, problems with them became apparent after a few laps.

Q: How physically challenging was this race? You don’t seem as exhausted now as you did a year ago…
Sergio Perez: Compared to last year everything went much easier. It’s not that hot now and the fight wasn’t that intense.

Q: There are a lot of Mexican fans in Miami who were happy with your pole position yesterday, and today they were waiting for a win. Do you have something to tell them?
Sergio Perez: I am very grateful to them for their support. They were great for me, I really wanted to win. But the main thing is not to give up. A long season is coming, we have to make progress, then we will have many more good moments.

Q: Did you like the ceremony of introducing riders before the start?
Sergio Perez: I hope such ceremonies will not take place too often. You can do it once for the sake of the spectators, but you have to respect the riders who are preparing for the start at this time.