Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes that a faulty team pitstop of Sergio Perez led to Lewis Hamilton’s P2 finish. Instead, it should have been Perez right behind Verstappen.
Horner expressed his dissatisfaction with the 5.3 seconds pitstop and how it was very crucial for the team. It was also disappointing for Sergio Perez in front of his home crowd.
The Mexican driver began his home race in the fourth position. He had close battles for the second position. However, a pitstop changed the whole dynamics.
What went wrong for Sergio Perez at the Mexico City Grand Prix?
Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell locked the second and third place during the qualifying. Behind them was Sergio Perez.
However, during the race, he did get an amazing opportunity to undercut the Mercedes driver. Hamilton was slower in hard compound tires and had a single pitstop.
It was the right opportunity for Perez to take the lead. However, his second pit stop was 5.3 seconds long and it was difficult to overtake. Mercedes did show the upgrades working with a faster-paced car.
and the crowd goes wildddd for @SChecoPerez 🤩🇲🇽pic.twitter.com/d7Gc9j8pKX
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) November 1, 2022
Also Read: Sergio Perez claims 2-time champion Max Verstappen cannot be defeated in the same car
How Lewis Hamilton successfully defended his second position against Sergio Perez
Red Bull boss Christian Horner is working with the team identifying the reason behind the failed pitstop. The team will investigate to the core.
According to him, the problem was a nut stuck in the rims of the wheel. Besides, Mercedes’ pace and the strategy implemented did impress the Red Bull boss.
Perez was 0.03 seconds behind Hamilton during the DRS detection range after the pitstop. Due to this, Hamilton had the better pace and finished three seconds ahead of Perez.
Max Verstappen on the other hand won the race easily with a lead of well over 15 seconds compared to Hamilton. He broke Michael Schumacher’s record of total wins in a season of 13 as well.
Padres orgullosos de sus hijos!!!🇬🇧🇲🇽
México es tu casa amigo 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/JhBL1xkqJ1— ANTONIO PÉREZ GARIBAY (@AntonioPerezMEX) October 30, 2022
