“We Shouldn’t Have Followed..”: Sergio Perez Blames Red Bull’s Strategy for Missing Podium by 0.05 Seconds

Sergio Perez failed to beat Fernando Alonso to the final podium as he lost out by just 0.05 seconds. Following the conclusion of the race, an angry Perez vented his frustration on the radio and blamed the team’s strategy for his loss. Perez was unhappy as he suspected Red Bull of following Lewis Hamilton’s race strategy.

The Mexican said, “Why did we follow them? We should do our race, don’t worry about them.” The 33-year-old had similar remarks at the end of the race as per a Reddit post as he said, “I don’t know what to say. We should not have followed Lewis there in the first stint, but anyway. Good points.”

The official photo finish image 📸

Just 0.053s separated Alonso and Perez 😮#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/S6WZjswb48

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 5, 2023

Hamilton’s race was the least of Red Bull’s concerns. This is because the Briton only managed to finish the race in eighth and was way off the pace when compared to his rivals. Perez and Red Bull should have focused on Alonso, who stole the show at the Sao Paulo GP.

Fernando Alonso produced a classic to beat Sergio Perez

After going through a few races without a top-three finish, Fernando Alonso finally made his opportunity count as he stood alongside Max Verstappen and Lando Norris on the podium. This was one of the finest drives by the Spanish star this season. This is because since Verstappen and Norris were untouchable, the best Alonso could register was a P3 finish.

Perez had been on Alonso’s tail for a long time until the Red Bull driver decided to land a final blow in the penultimate lap. He pulled out of the slipstream and used the DRS to pull a move over the Aston Martin driver.

However, Alonso still had a move left as he used all his energy and danced his way out to come in front again. From there on, he went into a heavy defensive mode and stayed there till they crossed the Chequered Flag.