“I gave it all,” Sergio Perez downhearted after a humbling loss to Max Verstappen in Miami GP

Sergio Perez, the Red Bull driver, has managed a P2 finish at the Miami Street Circuit, finishing behind his teammate in an extremely close battle. Perez started the race from P1 on the grid, whereas Max Verstappen started his exploits from P9 behind Esteban Ocon. The Mexican feels his pace was just not good enough on his initial stint, and that cost him the victory.

Sergio Perez, while shedding light on his outing during the post-race interview, said, “I tried. I gave it all. The first stint was really poor at the beginning in that initial phase, and that compromised quite a lot our race. So, we didn’t have much of a difference on tyres, and Max did a good job, so well deserved race from him.”

The Mexican has clarified that he tried everything he could during the race to keep Verstappen behind, but he just couldn’t. Moreover, he has indicated that his pace during the initial phase of the race was not good and saw that as the main reason for losing out to his teammate. He feels the Dutchman did a better job than him.

Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen were on different strategies during the race, the former was on a set of medium tires at the start, Verstappen on the other hand, started his race on the hard compound, and his strategy was mainly to go as long as possible on a single set of tires and increase the gap at the front.

Discover: ‘Real Housewives’ icon Larsa Pippen attends Miami GP with her boyfriend Marcus Jordan

Sergio Perez did not have the tires at the end to fight Max Verstappen

While Max Verstappen was on a long-run strategy at the Miami GP, Sergio Perez had to come into the pits earlier than his teammate because of the medium tires on his RB19. This was the point where Verstappen really stepped up a gear and pushed hard on his tires to create a decent gap between him and the car that was in P3.

Moreover, when Max did pit, he was put on a set of medium tires and had a decent pace advantage over Sergio Perez. After exiting the pits, he was quickly able to get on the rear of Perez’s car and the back of newer medium tires, easily make the move to secure the race’s lead, and comfortably secure the win at the end.

With 5 races done and dusted during the ongoing campaign, how do you see the Championship fight shaping up between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez? After Miami, the Dutchman has extended his lead in the Drivers Championship, and it will be crucial from Perez’s point of view to win the next race.

In case you missed it:

• “I have no clue where I am,” Lewis Hamilton’s cry for help at Miami GP mid-race on team radio, highlights instability at Mercedes
• “Focus on driving please,” Max Verstappen told to just focus on his race during radio fiasco at Miami GP

Stay Updated!

Join our newsletter to receive exclusive updates and curated insights directly to your inbox.

Subscribe NOW