Perez frustrated that his team doesn’t tell him to set the fastest lap at the end of the race
Max Verstappen now only has a one-point lead in the championship over his teammate, Sergio Perez. The latter wants the team to review the communications of both drivers, received during the final laps of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Winner of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Sergio Perez, who started from pole position, finished the race five seconds ahead of his teammate, Max Verstappen, who had started from 15th place on the grid.
The rise of the Dutch driver was supported by a “free” pit stop during the safety car period, following Lance Stroll’s retirement. Several laps after the restart, the reigning world champion managed to take second position, which was previously held by Fernando Alonso.
At the halfway point of the race, the two Red Bull drivers then began exchanging the best laps during the race. The point for the fastest lap being the only differentiator between them, after the first two races of the championship.
Perez does not understand
In the end, it was Verstappen, elected driver of the day, who clocked the fastest time at the finish line. Upon getting out of his car, the Mexican driver indicated that he had the feeling that the information that had been given to him was not the same as what was given to his teammate.
“A few laps before the end, I asked which was the fastest lap,” said the Mexican.
They told me I had the fastest turn and that I needed to maintain a certain pace.
« I thought that the communication was the same for Max, I think we need to review the different information and I simply couldn’t push it to the end. »
« It is evident that they have more information than us and I think the team has done a fantastic job by allowing us to run. »
Verstappen doesn’t see things differently
After taking the fastest lap point, Verstappen asserts that, in his opinion, it was a standard question to ask.
« Just a few laps before the finish, I asked which was the fastest lap,” he explained.
« First of all, we were free to run and of course, we had a target lap time until the end. But there’s a catch. It was the same in Bahrain too, I was asked, especially when it’s just between two cars, I think it’s quite normal to ask which is the fastest lap. »
