Could Pérez defend harder? 'Only Alonso would benefit from that'

Indeed, the championship leader, Verstappen, passed his teammate fairly easily on newer and softer tyres. It was a short fierce fight, but it was visible that Pérez, who could still hook into the corner, steered to the outside and let Verstappen pass.

Pérez could have defended harder

During the FIA press conference, Pérez was asked if he could have defended harder. He could have, according to his answer. The Mexican explained, "Obviously, at the end of the day we should put the team ahead of us. We’re two drivers, but there are so many people working back home, working really hard. We have to stay respectful."

"In the closing stages, we had a very good fight," Pérez continued. "I think a bit more would have meant contact. That would not have been fair for any of us. Only for Fernando [Alonso].