Priestley critical of race management: 'Became far too much of a discussion point'

With a fourth-place, Sergio Perez got his best result of the season so far. In qualifying, he was able to keep up with his teammate Max Verstappen. Slowly but surely the Mexican seems to be finding his place at Red Bull Racing.

Perez's fourth place is what was actually expected of Alexander Albon and Pierre Gasly at Red Bull Racing previously. However, both drivers rarely managed to achieve that. Former mechanic Marc Priestley says in his livestream that he already sees Perez standing out from his two predecessors.

"The big difference is that Perez is not satisfied with a fourth place. His predecessors would have seen it as a good result." As a result, Priestley believes Perez will be more likely to get involved in the battle up front this season. "He doesn't just want to compete for a place in the top four, he wants to compete with Max [Verstappen]. He's radiating more and more confidence."

After the race, Perez complained that Lando Norris had ruined his race. The McLaren driver overtook Perez early in the race, but in the process went four wheels off the track and was not penalised for it. "It held him up, but I don't think it cost him the race," believes Priestley.

He is, however, critical of the race management. "It's not logical that Norris wasn't penalised for this. The rules on this were very clear. The track limits have become far too much of a discussion point."