“Only way to get him was to push him into a mistake,”: Sergio Perez explains his final lap attack on Charles Leclerc at Japanese GP
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Sergio and Charles
Sergio Perez had an outing to remember at the Suzuka International Race Course where he was able to get the better of Charles Leclerc on the last lap of the race and secure a P2 finish.
Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc had an epic battle on the rain-drenched circuit where on the last lap, the incessant pressure from the Mexican led to the Monegasque committing an error.
Charles was given a 5-second time penalty for going off track and was dropped to P3, despite finishing ahead of the Red Bull driver.
After the race, Sergio was asked to give his thoughts on his battle with Charles and while stressing about it, he said, “It was a nice battle again.”
Sergio Perez feels that his battle with Charles was really good, especially considering that they were going at high speeds on a rain-drenched Suzuka Circuit.
Moreover, Perez’s P2 finish in Japan helped Max Verstappen in getting crowned as the 2022 F1 World Champion with four races still remaining on the calendar.
Sergio Perez’s take on his tussle with Charles Leclerc
During the Japanese GP, Charles Leclerc was managing his tires really well, however, by the closing stages of the race, his tires started wearing out and this was the opportunity that helped Sergio Perez in forcing the Monegasque into a mistake.
Sergio further adds, “He was making it really hard, so I knew that the only way I could get him was if I push him into a mistake.”
While Perez feels that it was difficult to get past Leclerc, he has also talked about the confusion that he experienced during the timed Japanese GP.
When the flag fell on the race, Verstappen thought that he had one more lap to go and the same was the case with Perez who also thought that there was one more lap remaining after he and Charles crossed the line.
“Towards the end, I thought there was one more lap left so when he went off, I thought that was going to be the opportunity, but it didn’t happen and we managed to get a good result for the team and a great one-two.”
Sergio Perez is pleased that he was able to help the team in securing another Red Bull P1 and P2 finish, moreover, considering that four races are remaining, the Mexican is going to push to his absolute best to secure a few more victories.
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Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)