Despite his second place in the Spanish Grand Prix, Sergio Pérez was not satisfied with the course of his race. The Mexican was disappointed that he had to leave for Max Verstappen and therefore wants an explanation from his team.
“I think I deserved to win today,” 32-year-old Pérez told Sky Sports† “At the start of the race I gave up my position thinking that I would get that position back later, but then the strategies were suddenly adjusted. Max’s strategy turned out to be clearly the better one.”
Pérez gave up on lap ten for Verstappen, who had flown into the gravel just before that and fell from second to fourth place as a result. Pérez was stuck behind Russell and wanted to give Verstappen the opportunity to attack the Mercedes driver.
However, Verstappen struggled with problems with his DRS system and was unable to overtake Russell. After the pit stops, Pérez rejoined Verstappen and Russell, but the Mexican did not get his position back from the Dutchman.
In the final phase, Verstappen again ended up behind Pérez. The two-time Grand Prix winner was ordered not to delay Verstappen and indicated over the on-board radio that he thought that was “not fair”. Nevertheless, Pérez stepped aside, after which Verstappen’s victory was no longer in danger.
‘Want to discuss some things with the team’
Although Pérez emphasized that he is happy with the team result, he still hopes to receive an explanation from his team. “There are some things I want to discuss internally with the team so I can understand why certain choices were made,” he continued.
“When I’m driving it’s hard to see the bigger picture. I’m not saying I’ve been a victim of team orders, I just want to understand why the strategies suddenly changed
With his victory, Verstappen took over the World Cup leadership from Leclerc. The Red Bull driver has six points more than his competitor from Ferrari (110 to 104 points). The Formula 1 season will continue next week with the Monaco Grand Prix.