Sergio Perez Claims Losing Out Bahrain GP to Max Verstappen Helped Him Learn a Lot About Ferrari

Red Bull Racing has made the perfect start to the 2023 season as they clinched a brilliant 1-2 in Bahrain. Max Verstappen won the race from the pole while his teammate, Sergio Perez, finished second.

However, the second-place finish for Perez was not as easy as the win for Verstappen. The Mexican had to fight his way back for second after losing out on the position to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on the opening lap of the race.

With Perez stuck behind Leclerc for most of the race, the Red Bull Racing driver explained how he learnt a lot about Ferrari and the areas in which the Prancing Horse are strong.

Sergio Perez turns spy during Bahrain Grand Prix

Even though Red Bull Racing seemed way clear of the field at the season opener in Bahrain, Ferrari yet posed a threat to them. The Prancing Horse’s strategy of running just the one-timed lap during qualifying with Charles Leclerc allowed the Monegasque to have an extra set of tyres for the main race.

This strategy almost paid dividends as Leclerc overtook Perez on the opening lap of the race. However, the Monegasque was unable to keep hold of the position as he was forced to retire due to a power unit issue.

 

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Had the 25-year-old not retired, he very well could have finished ahead of the Mexican. All the laps that Perez spent behind Leclerc helped the 33-year-old to gather important data for his team.

Speaking of the same, Perez told the media (as quoted by racingnews365.com), “I actually learned a lot about their car. You know: where they are weak, where they’re strong, or stronger than us.

Also Read: Max Verstappen Saw Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso Duel on Screen While Racing in Bahrain Claims Helmut Marko

Perez explains why he struggled to get past Charles Leclerc

Sergio Perez, who finished almost 12 seconds behind Max Verstappen, explains how staying behind Charles Leclerc cost him the opportunity to challenge his Red Bull Racing teammate for the win in the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Mexican said it was extremely difficult to get past Leclerc as the Monegasque was on fresher tyres. Perez added that whenever he was trying to get closer to Leclerc, he was facing degradation on his tyres and hence, never got the opportunity to beat the Ferrari driver.

Also Read: Mercedes Boss Toto Wolff Concedes Defeat After Bahrain GP