Perez questions Red Bull’s strategy after the Miami Grand Prix
During the Miami Grand Prix, Sergio Perez may have lost the race due to the strategy. With medium tires losing pace from the tenth lap onwards, Max Verstappen and his hard tires were able to catch up to the Mexican. Sergio Perez did not hesitate to question the strategy.
Starting in pole position on medium tires, Sergio Perez quickly saw his teammate, Max Verstappen, make a fast comeback in the race. However, the Dutchman had opted for hard tires at the start of this Grand Prix. The outgoing world champion and current championship leader quickly set the fastest laps and eventually emerged victorious.
Sergio Perez criticizes the strategy
Sergio Perez’s tires deteriorated quickly, forcing the Mexican driver to manage his tire wear and not be able to fully capitalize on them. Although the majority of the drivers went with medium tires, Sergio Perez questions this choice: « I don’t think anyone realized just how weak these tires were. As soon as we were able to complete a few laps, we saw that the tire performance was poor ».”
The Mexican’s race started off well, with a good pace in the early laps. However, his tires quickly showed signs of weakness. Sergio Perez had to save his tires to make it through the stint: “I saw that the medium tires were very weak and fragile. I had to protect the tire until around lap 15. It was very difficult to rely on it. The right side, in general, was very challenging,” said the Mexican.
Finally, Max Verstappen quickly caught up with his teammate using his highly effective hard tires on the Miami track. Sergio Perez therefore questioned the choice to start on medium tires, whereas Max Verstappen was able to start on hard tires.
The response from Christian Horner
These statements did not go unnoticed by Christian Horner. The team principal of Red Bull defended their strategy. According to him, the strategy was discussed ahead of the race and the Mexican driver was in agreement with the choice of medium tires. Obviously, strategy is discussed. Numbers and statistics are analyzed all night long. Pros and cons are weighed.
Christian Horner also commented on the decision to give Max Verstappen the hard tires, which made the difference in this Miami Grand Prix and allowed him to secure the victory. Max and his team of engineers wanted to go for this strategy. I was happy about it and told him, “If that’s what you want to do, go for it,” said the team principal of Red Bull.
