Perez makes a dig at Verstappen: 'Maybe he's also not focused'

In Baku, Perez qualified ahead of his teammate for the first time this season. The Mexican secured himself P4 on the grid, and was able to race with Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc. Unfortuantely for Perez, a crash with Carlos Sainz ended both of their races. For the Mexican, this also ended his first potential podium since China this year. 

Perez: 'Maybe Max was not focused'

When asked what changed for him last weekend, the Red Bull driver responded: "I was focused. I wasn't distracted. I wasn't thinking about other stuff out of racing. It's what people say basically that when I was not doing well, that I was not focused, I was thinking too much on other stuff, not racing. So maybe that was the improvement."

In the paddock, he was also questioned about Verstappen, who had a more challenging weekend than his teammate in Baku. The Mexican replied "Maybe he's also not focused on the racing [Laughs] and anyway I went through it all. I think it's clear we have a problem at the moment and we just have to focus on it and try to get the most out of it. I think the step that we took in Baku is really positive," 

"For us as a team, if we are able to confirm that direction coming here, it will be a massive boost and also there could be a lot more in the pipeline. It's a very important weekend for us in terms of confirmation, what we've done in Baku, that the steps are going in the right direction here and that it can still be a good season for us, with still a few races to go," Perez concluded.

This article was written in collaboration with Jeroen Immink.