Sergio Perez may have won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from Max Verstappen but was left disappointed with his team Red Bull’s communication costing him the fastest lap.
Verstappen pinched the fastest lap from Perez on the final lap, but Perez claimed he had been informed by the team not maintain his pace late in the race rather than push.
Perez, to that point, held the fastest lap, only for the Dutchman to grab it, having been heard on team radio asking what time needed to be beaten, only to be told we’re “not worried about that”. Verstappen replied “but I am”, with no response.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was heard congratulating Verstappen over team radio on the additional point after the race, before Perez asked his team-mate in the cooldown room “were you not told to keep the pace?”.
“I asked two laps from the end when they told me to keep a certain pace,” Perez told reporters
“They told me I had the fastest lap and to keep the pace at a certain pace.
“I thought the communication was the same to Max, I think we need to review the different information and I just couldnt push then in the end.”
The Red Bull one-two seemed a major triumph for the team but that scenario was caused some angst. Perez subsequently missed out on sitting atop the F1 standings with 43 points, behind Verstappen on 44 after two races.
Fernando Alonso claimed his second podium of the season, finishing third for Aston Martin despite a five-second penalty, with Ferrari and Mercedes still off the pace set by Red Bull.
Alonso almost lost his podium, having been handed a 10-second penalty for incorrectly serving the five-second penalty in the pits, but that was reversed by stewards.
“I am happy in the end with the result tonight and our second podium,” Alonso said. “We showed that we can be the second fastest team and we had good pace throughout the race.”
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