Perez: “We were on the verge of giving up!”

In the shadow of his teammate Max Verstappen since the start of the season, Perez knew how to seize the opportunity presented to him this afternoon in Baku. With a pace close to that of Verstappen, the Mexican driver was second before the accident a few laps from the end of his teammate, causing a red flag.

The race was then restarted for only two laps, but not enough to panic “Checo” Perez: “I am very happy after this Grand Prix. In Baku, there are always exceptional scenarios. That said, I really feel sorry for Max because he had an incredible race and he deserved the win today. It would have been great to have a double for the team but that's how it is. In the end, it’s still a good race for us.”

During the deceleration lap, Perez stopped on orders from his engineer. If this is a scene we've seen before, the consequences could have been disastrous for him and his team. Today's winner says it: he was very close to giving up! “We were on the verge of retiring due to a hydraulic problem but we managed to bring the car all the way back. That’s why I stopped right after crossing the line.”

In struggle with Hamilton throughout the Grand Prix, it was Perez who emerged victorious from this exciting duel: “Hamilton had incredible pace throughout the race. It was very close with him from start to finish. Our pit stop wasn't great and the overcut didn't work as well as we hoped. I had his pressure throughout the race but I stayed in front, it's a great feeling. This will clearly give me confidence for the future.”

Find the analysis of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix by our experts in AUTOhebdo No. 2315, available from Monday evening in digital version and Wednesday on newsstands.

 

Your first bit of silverware as a Bull On the step  #AzerbaijanGP  pic.twitter.com/WFaGkS7Jfz

— Red Bull Racing Honda (@redbullracing) June 6, 2021