Perez opens up on frustrations over Red Bull team order as Verstappen wins Spanish GP

Despite securing a 1-2 for the team, Red Bull Racing's Sergio Perez had a frustrating Spanish Grand Prix as he was asked to give way to teammate Max Verstappen despite having a better chance to win the race at one stage.

After the race's conclusion, the Mexican said that he was keen to have internal discussions with the team about the orders put in place.

Sergio Perez unhappy with Red Bull Racing's team orders

As a result of Max Verstappen's disappointing slide, he found himself in fourth place, with his Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Perez in front of him. With the two teammates attacking Mercedes F1's George Russell for second place, Perez allowed Verstappen by, as the team believed that the Dutchman could provide a better fight against the Brit.

However, with Verstappen still behind Russell after several laps, Perez asked his team to let him past Verstappen, but on that occasion, he was unfortunately told to hold station. As a result of the frustrating team order, the Mexican admitted that he could have won the race if the team helped him with a better strategy.

While speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, Perez replied, "I think so," when asked if he could have won the Spanish GP. "Especially at the beginning, when I gave the position to Max, thinking I was going to get it back later. But then, we swapped strategies – he went for the three, I went for the two – it turned out his was the better strategy to be on."

While elaborating on the same in his post-race press conference, Perez added, "I think what was clear was that the three-stop was a better race, race time, and the various strategies, so I think if I went in that direction, I would have won the race. And it worked out for Max. I think that was something we discussed."

He went on to explain, "It was good, because we didn’t know at the time which strategy was going to be the best one. I only felt that in the first stint when I gave the position to Max, that I was told that I was going to get it back and when I was on the two-stop I felt that I could have gone through Max and George a bit earlier to try and make the strategy work, but probably it wouldn’t have been enough.”

When asked if he was frustrated to not get the win, Perez added, "It’s a bit frustrating from my side at the moment but, at the end of the day, it’s a great team result. We are now leading the Constructors’ [Championship], so that’s something that I’m very pleased with. There are a few things that we will discuss internally, just to understand what went on because, obviously, when you’re driving, you don’t understand much of the bigger picture."

Max Verstappen grabs F1 Championship lead after Spanish GP win

With Ferrari F1's Charles Leclerc retiring from the Spanish GP due to a loss of power, Max Verstappen claimed a six-point lead in the Drivers' Championship, following a fourth win of the season. While there are still 16 races remaining in the season, losing the championship lead this early will undoubtedly hurt for the Monégasque, who at one point had almost a 50 point lead over the Dutchman.