Sergio Perez put up an impressive show going back and forth with Lewis Hamilton to slow him down for Max Verstappen to catch up.
Sergio Perez has apologised to Lewis Hamilton after he helped Max Verstappen gain pace in the championship rivalry at the Abu Dhabi GP.
Since the race on Sunday, Lewis Hamilton has led the championship since the very beginning of the race. However, he found himself in an unlikely battle with Perez after coming out of the pit.
The Mexican took over the lead from Hamilton and put up a remarkable defence to keep Hamilton behind for as long as possible. This tussle allowed his teammate Max Verstappen to take valuable time and come closer to his rival.
Our Mexican master of defence 🛡 @SChecoPerez 🇲🇽pic.twitter.com/ocNTRNbwjw
— Red Bull Racing Honda (@redbullracing) December 14, 2021
Perez said, “Hurting someone in a world championship is something you do not want to do but at the end of the day I have done it for my team.”
“I am sure that Hamilton himself will understand it very well, I have done everything more than for Max, for my team.”
Also read: Red Bull claims F1 needs to rethink after Abu Dhabi GP’s controversial end
Sergio Perez wants to be the main man
Apart from Perez’s help, Verstappen also took advantage of the safety car that Nicholas Latifi triggered. With only six laps remaining and some controversial decisions by the race director, Verstappen shot up right behind his title rival.
However, Perez believes that even with the safety car, Hamilton’s race would have been easy. He said, “in the end, I was able to help and that’s important. I think those 10 seconds or so that Hamilton lost were the ones that made the race.”
“If he hadn’t helped in all the windows he could have done that in the safety car. I’d make a stop and the race would have been relatively easy for Lewis,” he further added.
The Mexican has put up a string of impressive performances this season. After playing second fiddle to teammate Verstappen, he believes he has what it takes to be the main man.
“I think it will be defined soon, I think I can be up to the task. Today I was up to the pace in terms of pace. In the last few races, I have had a great progression. Starting from scratch, I think I have the best opportunity.”
“Hopefully, we can have a car as competitive as this year,” he concluded.
Also read: Former Toro Rosso driver bashes Sergio Perez for impeding Lewis Hamilton’s race
