“Why won’t you let me by?” Team orders and DRS dramas on Red Bull’s radio in Spain · RaceFans

Red Bull brought home a one-two finish in the Spanish Grand Prix but had to navigate a few tricky moments during the race to get there.

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez ran second and fourth in the opening stages. However a stiff gust of wind sent Verstappen off-track at turn four, dropping him behind his team mate.

That led to the first of two occasions on which Perez was told to let his team mate by. But as soon as Red Bull did that, a DRS problem Verstappen had suffered on Saturday recurred. That thwarted his efforts to pass second-placed George Russell.

The retirement of Charles Leclerc meant the three-way scrap between the Red Bull drivers and Russell became the battle for the lead. After the trio pitted, Verstappen continued to try to find a way past Russell. Meanwhile an unimpressed Perez, whose DRS was working, urged the team to let him past Verstappen.

Rather than do that, Red Bull opted to pit Verstappen again and leave Perez on a two-stop strategy. That meant in the final third of the race Perez held the lead while Verstappen closed rapidly on fresher tyres. Red Bull intervened again, telling Perez to let his team mate by. Verstappen went on to win.

Here’s how the race unfolded on their radios.

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s 2022 Spanish Grand Prix radio messages

Verstappen made no remark when he skidded off the track on turn nine, though Red Bull were quick to warn Perez about the gust of wind which had caught out his team mate.