Sergio Perez was told he would get the place back from Max Verstappen

Sergio Perez has said that he was told he would be given the place back when he was ordered to let Max Verstappen pass during the Spanish Grand Prix.

The Mexican felt he was on course for his first win of the season before he was told to move aside for Verstappen to go and take the lead.

It was in stark contrast to earlier in the race when Perez, who was faster and had a working DRS, was not allowed to pass the Dutchman who at that point was having difficulty overtaking George Russell.

Perez would go on to finish second but was heard over the radio telling his team they needed to talk. Speaking after the race, the Mexican said he had been informed he would get the place back when he was instructed to let Verstappen through.

“Well, on the first stint, when I let Max by, I was told that I was going to get it back,” he said when asked if he felt the race win was on. “And we knew we were on different strategies.

“So when I was back on it, I felt like I could have gone through and probably given a better shot at my strategy, to make it work. But at the end of the day, it turned out to be the three-stop the way to go today.”

Perez had been one of few drivers aiming for just two stops in the race and while there can be no doubting his ability to make the most out of old tyres, the other two stoppers in the race showed that three was likely the better way to go. The Red Bull driver pitted for a third time later on in order to successfully go after the fastest lap extra point.

“I think what was clear was that the three-stop was a better race, race time, and the various strategies, so I think if I went in that direction, I would have won the race,” he said.

“And it worked out for Max. I think that was something we discussed. It was good, because we didn’t know at the time which strategy was going to be the best one.

“I only felt that in the first stint when I gave the position to Max, that I was told that I was going to get it back and when…