'Red Bull should have swapped Verstappen with Perez'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Sergio Perez managed to impress at the Monaco Grand Prix, while teammate Max Verstappen had a bit of an off-weekend. According to former F1 driver Tiff Needell, the Dutchman could have won the race however.
Prior to the Monaco Grand Prix, Max Verstappen would probably have signed for the result that is now on the board. After all, at Red Bull Racing they were already taking into account that Charles Leclerc would catch up to Verstappen in the standings, as it is after all almost impossible to overtake in the tight streets of Monaco.
In the end, Sergio Perez managed to win thanks to a smart strategy by Red Bull Racing and a blunder by Ferrari. Former F1 driver Tiff Needell had however expected that the Austrian team would favor Verstappen.
"I expected them to swap Max with Perez earlier. It didn't happen, but if they had, Max would have won the Monaco Grand Prix. Maybe Red Bull ruined it by not swapping them," Needell counters in the podcast Lovecars On The Grid.
No orders from the team
It is possible that after the Spanish Grand Prix, agreements were made within Red Bull Racing regarding team orders. After all, Sergio Perez was not happy during the race that he first had to let Verstappen go ahead and later did not get the spot back. There was also much discussion among fans about the team orders in Barcelona.
Needell doesn't understand the aversion to team orders in Formula 1. "You pay two drivers millions a year and they have to do what you say is good for the team," concludes the Brit.