Pérez missed the podium in Hungary because of a too long VSC

When on the one hand, Max Verstappen probably won one of the most difficult races of his career, Sergio Pérez missed the boat. The Mexican, who started just behind his Dutch teammate on the grid, was unable to secure a podium. Arriving 5th in the Hungarian Grand Prix, Pérez nevertheless followed the same strategy as the world champion, but was unable to get rid of the leading drivers. He was also disrupted by a change in strategy mid-race.

“I think in the middle of the race we looked good, estimated the Mexican pilot. We were only planning on doing one stop, so I think we didn't quite maximize that stint and unfortunately it didn't work out as well as we would have liked. In the end, I just lost a few seconds on Carlos and George. »

“The VSC hurt us a little” believes Pérez

Sergio Pérez, however, had the podium in his sights after his second stop, on lap 42. By wearing medium tires, the winner of the Monaco Grand Prix could have followed Verstappen in his fantastic comeback. Until the stoppage, when the virtual safety car intervened 3 laps from the finish “We were much faster with Charles [Leclerc] behind. But unfortunately there was a virtual safety car for a little too long and that hurt us a little. » Running out of time, Pérez failed to finish in 5th place but only three seconds behind Russell's 3rd place finish.

Pérez's result in Hungary means he is now just 5 points behind Leclerc in the championship, who finished 6th. But the Mexican said he had to get his act together after the summer break after not having tasted champagne since Silverstone. “There were a bit of ups and downs, judged the Mexican on his season so far. A few reliability issues but other than that I think there are some positives to take from this first half of the season. »

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