Verstappen’s bid for fastest lap point leaves Perez surprised and confused

Red Bull’s win at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was overshadowed by confusion and contradictory instructions between Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen.

Sergio Perez, who won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, believes that he received contradictory instructions compared to his Red Bull F1 teammate, Max Verstappen.

He intends to investigate the situation that led to him losing the fastest lap point. While Red Bull dominated the race and finished 1-2, the final stage was more stressful than the team had hoped.

On Saturday, Max Verstappen was unable to advance beyond the second qualifying segment because of a driveshaft malfunction.

During the race, he reported indications of a comparable problem, and the gap between him and Sergio Perez had stabilized around five seconds. As a result, the team instructed both drivers to manage the pace and aim for a 1m33.0s target laptime.

However, Verstappen ignored these instructions and continued to clock laps in the low-1m32s range. He did not respond to Red Bull’s requests for confirmation that he had comprehended and accepted the target laptime.

Verstappen’s failure to acknowledge the team’s instructions resulted in confusion for Perez. When Perez reported a “long” brake pedal, he was informed that the target laptime was no longer 1m33.0s, but rather 1m32.6s, which perplexed him.

Adding to his confusion, he was then told that he could “push freely.” However, team boss Christian Horner later clarified that this instruction was given because data had alleviated concerns about reliability.

Although Verstappen claimed in the post-race press conference that he had accepted second place and had slowed down at some point, he did inquire about the fastest lap and expressed a desire to take the bonus point away from Perez, who was poised to earn it.

The team responded by saying that they were not concerned about it, but Verstappen remained determined. He ultimately set a lap three-tenths of a second faster than Perez’s best lap on the final lap, with Perez not appearing to push during that lap.

Verstappen explained that he had asked about the fastest lap a few laps before the end of the race. Although they were free to race, he was aware that there was a point on the line. He added that the same situation had arisen in Bahrain, and it was normal to ask for the fastest lap, especially when it was just between the two cars.

If Verstappen had not gone for the fastest lap, Perez would have taken the championship lead after the Jeddah race. Perez appeared to be taken aback by what had occurred and asked Verstappen about the instructions he had received in the cooldown room before the podium ceremony.

During the press conference, Perez explained that two laps from the end, he was instructed to maintain a specific pace and was told that he had the fastest lap. He assumed that Verstappen had received the same information, and they needed to review the situation since he had received different information and could not push towards the end.

Christian Horner, the team principal, maintains that both drivers had the freedom to pursue the fastest lap, even though Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, initially appeared reluctant. Horner emphasized that the team allowed both drivers to race and go for the fastest lap if they wished.

According to Horner, they ultimately decided that they would let both drivers go for the fastest lap on the last lap of the race, even if it meant risking a potential failure.

He believed that Verstappen had made that decision himself. Horner then suggested that Perez had also attempted to set the fastest lap but backed out of it shortly after starting.

He claimed that both drivers had access to the information that Perez had the fastest lap at that point, and it was evident why Verstappen was asking about it.

Horner believed that there was no reason to prevent either driver from attempting to set the fastest lap, and it was essential for Verstappen to earn that point.

Verstappen’s bid for fastest lap point leaves Perez confused Verstappen’s bid for fastest lap point leaves Perez confused Verstappen’s bid for fastest lap point leaves Perez confused

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