Verstappen criticised Pérez for his nonsensical manoeuvre at the first corner

This year’s Mexican Grand Prix ended for local hero Sergio Pérez after the first corner when his Red Bull and Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari made contact. Race winner Max Verstappen also commented on the incident and did not praise his teammate.

Pérez made a great start from fifth on the grid and thanks to the slipstream, he soon caught up with the top two drivers Verstappen and Leclerc.

However, on the approach to the first corner, the Monegasque, with nowhere to move, closed in from the outside, resulting in a collision that forced the Mexican to pit his car.

It was a clear mistake by Pérez, for which he was also criticised by the Dutch champion after the race.

“I understand what Checo was trying to do. It’s his home race, so he wanted to be on the podium, I understand that. He tried on the outside, but he should have left more room for Charles,” said Verstappen, who was quoted by Planet F1.

“I didn’t see much at that moment. I saw a car go up in the air, but I had to look at the replays to see exactly what happened. Because when you’re driving, it’s hard. I was concentrating on the Ferrari and didn’t see what was going on outside,” he added.

And what did “Checo” Pérez say?

Pérez was clearly frustrated after his accident. When the team told him that he had to retire from the race, he began pounding the steering wheel in anger. Inexplicably, he couldn’t take responsibility for the collision. In an interview, he referred to it as a racing incident and made excuses for Leclerc.

“I had a great start and when the opportunity arose I decided to go for it. I didn’t expect Charles to brake so late when he was in the middle and had less room to manoeuvre. There just wasn’t enough room for three cars.Itwas clearly a racing incident,” said the Mexican driver after retiring from the race.

In the drivers’ championship, Pérez’s lead over third-placed Lewis Hamilton has shrunk to just 20 points. With three races left in the season, the Red Bull driver certainly has a tough job ahead of him. He can’t count on any team help from Verstappen after his past experiences.

However, he still has clearly the fastest car of all at his disposal, so his destiny is in his hands.

Source: F1, PlanetF1