27 August 2023 , 15:22
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Sergio Perez was left baffled during the Dutch Grand Prix after Max Verstappen was allowed to undercut his teammate despite the Mexican leading.
In a rain-soaked Zandvoort, the Dutchman looked like he was once again set to run out successful on his home patch. In all, a win would represent his 12th success and his 11th in succession. It wasn’t all straightforward for Verstappen though.
He found himself behind Red Bull teammate Perez mid-way through the race, with the decision made to pit to switch to slick tyres as the weather continued to cause havoc. Usually, the expectation would be for the leading driver to head to the pits first, but Verstappen was allowed through.
That ultimately allowed Verstappen to get ahead of his teammate and regain his lead. Perez let his confusion show during a conversation over the Red Bull radio. He said: "Did Max undercut us?" An engineer replied: "Yes Max undercut us."
Reports have since suggested that neither Perez nor Verstappen had any say on the decision, and it was a call made by the team. Attempting to explain the decision, Sky Sports co-commentator Karun Chandhok said: “What you have to remember is A) The pit lane is slower than normal but B) It’s also wetter than the race track because cars haven’t been driving around.
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“Perez hangs onto second place though so actually, in terms of the strategic benefit of his day, he’s gained five places from where he started.”
Sergio Perez was left baffled at a Red Bull decision to pit Max Verstappen (Getty Images)What was your take on the incident? Share your thoughts in the comments below
The latest controversy surrounding Perez and Verstappen comes after their row during last season’s Brazilian Grand Prix. The former was struggling on medium tyres and the team asked him to allow Verstappen through on the condition that he would be given the place back.
Verstappen did not follow team orders though, with clear-the-air talks then taking place. Christian Horner then put the row down to a team mistake.
Perez’s race in the Netherlands then got worse as the track became wetter and wetter. He span off of the track and was then left stuck in the pits as the race was stopped by a red flag.
He also hit the wall when attempting to come into the pits just before the red flag was shown. Chandhok said: “I think he touched it with the front right, maybe the back a little bit when he went off.
“But the front right certainly made contact with the wall. Wow. He might have gotten away with it because it was a glancing blow. It’s on the steering wheel as well, the red flashing light.
“I’m just looking, his steering wheel is straight. Normally, the biggest issue would be he’s touched the wall that way is that he’s done damage to what we call the track rod which is attached to the steering wheel.”