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Horner explains why Perez was faster than Verstappen in Azerbaijan GP
- Jeroen Immink
Despite Sergio Perez not scoring any points in Azerbaijan due to a late crash with Carlos Sainz, the Mexican can look back on his race positively. For the first time in a long time, Perez was faster than teammate Max Verstappen, who did not finish above fifth place. Why was Perez faster than the three-time world champion in the Formula 1 race in Baku?
Horner: 'That didn't work well with Max's car'
Perez was faster than Verstappen in qualifying for the first time since the 2023 Miami Grand Prix (P4). In the race, the Mexican immediately managed to catch Sainz at the start and then he was able to keep pace well with polesitter Charles Leclerc and number two Oscar Piastri. Red Bull Racing came out with an update in Baku and Horner says it worked better for Perez than Verstappen.
"I think he found a good rhythm and set up. Checo's car was very quick today, I think we might have introduced some things with Max's car that didn't work as well. I think we probably damaged the tyres quite a lot fighting in that group for such a long period of time. If you look at George Russell's stint, he started very, very slowly and then just built into it and has a better tyre at the end. Really, really very, very frustrating," Horner revealed to Sky Sports.
Perez seems to feel like a fish out of water in Azerbaijan. Verstappen's teammate - already known as King of the Streets - is the record holder in Baku when it comes to GP victories with two wins.
This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton