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Verstappen would have beaten Perez on same strategy

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Both drivers can choose to run a medium/hard or hard/medium one-stop combination.

From pole, Perez actually had to start from the medium pace, as he couldn’t risk losing out to those around him, and after a mistake in qualifying, Verstappen was given more freedom and opted for the hard tyre. .

Plus: How Verstappen deployed an underrated powerhouse to beat Perez in Miami

Red Bull’s simulation data shows that Perez’s strategy will be about three seconds faster over the distance of the race.

However, Verstappen was able to set an unexpectedly good lap time on his long first stint on the hard tyre, and even passed Perez on his fresher hard tyre, after Perez had pitted.

After Verstappen came up on Perez on his own stop, he quickly moved into the lead.

Given the form the world champion has shown, Horner said Verstappen would have been just as impressive if he had adopted the same strategy as his team-mate.

“I think if he had used other strategies as well, today’s performance would have been very similar,” he said.

“I think he was obviously frustrated with himself after qualifying, he made a mistake and then obviously didn’t have the opportunity to correct that mistake.

“And I think he felt confident playing today and just wanted to do something a little bit different.”

Horner confirmed he was willing to back Verstappen’s strategic choice, even if it was theoretically slower.

“Strategy has obviously been discussed, all the numbers were drawn overnight and we weighed the pros and cons,” he said.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1st, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing, 2nd, speech at Parc Ferme

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1st, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing, 2nd, speech at Parc Ferme

Photography: Jack Grant / motorsport pictures

“His engineering team and Max were keen to give it a go today. I’m happy to sign it and say if that’s what you want to do, fine.”

Horner said he was satisfied with finishing second despite Perez’s loss to the ninth-placed finisher.

“I think it’s the swings and roundabouts of the sport, don’t you?” he said. “A week ago he was on high. But I don’t think he will be too disappointed.

“He still took 18 points from here. I don’t think anybody beat Max today.”

Horner explained that Perez didn’t build up enough cushion when he started on the medium tire, in part because he was initially protecting his front right tire.

In retrospect, he admitted, the Mexican could have worked harder in that game.

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“For the first 10 laps, he was pretty much in control,” Horner said. “And I think he was nervous about the right front. I think he was driving well in himself and in the car to protect the right front when we started to see the other teams start to get a little bit rough.

“Then he pushed after the first 10 laps and started to build the lead.

“And I think in hindsight it was probably 20/20, I think if you look at the race again, he could have tried harder in the first period because the medium tire was actually a really good tire, as we saw Fernando (Alonso) has actually come a long way.”

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Mercedes gets away with fine for Parc Ferme problem of Hamilton and Russell

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Mercedes has been fined for violating parc fermé rules after the Spanish GP. This imposes the same sanction on the German racing stables as it did after the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc all committing the same crime.

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Sainz understands Ferrari’s limits: 'Not very competitive around here'

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Despite Carlos Sainz’s solid qualifying performance at his home Grand Prix, starting from second, the Ferrari driver lacked the necessary race pace compared to Red Bull and Mercedes, resulting in him finishing second. Five finishers.

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Tsunoda slams “ridiculous” F1 Spanish GP penalty for Zhou defence

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On lap 56 of 66 in a round dominated by Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, Alfa Romeo driver Zhou used DRS to challenge Tsunoda for 9th on the outside entering Turn 1 right hand.

But as the corner transitioned into Turn 2, Chow appeared to shake his machine to the left, before rejoining the track several car lengths behind Kakuda into the escape lane.

The FIA ​​stewards reviewed the incident and ruled that Zhou was ahead at the apex of Turn 1 and therefore had the right to enter the race room.

As Tsunoda was found violating the International Sports Code, he received a 5-second penalty and dropped to 12th without points. Zhou, meanwhile, scored two points for ninth.

Asked by Autosport about his reaction, Tsunoda said: “It’s a ridiculous penalty and it feels really unfair.”

Recalling his take on events, Tsunoda thought Zhou had “pretended” to run out of space and that there was “definitely” room to keep the Alfa Romeo on track.

He said: “I left the room when I saw (Zhou Lai), I think he gave up early on.

“He went outside and pretended he was being forced out, but he didn’t. Sure enough, there was room outside.

“Obviously I put pressure on him, but there was still space, so I don’t understand why it was a penalty. It felt really unfair, really harsh.”

Yuki Tsunoda, Scuderia AlphaTauri in the paddock

Yuki Tsunoda, Scuderia AlphaTauri in the paddock

Photography: Jack Grant / motorsport pictures

Tsunoda said he was not aware of the penalty until it reached the finish line, and believes drivers and teams should be able to present their defense to the FIA ​​before the final ruling is given.

He said: “After I just heard the checkered flag, I was really happy. But after listening to that radio, I was really disappointed.

“At the same time, (I think) it’s a bit of a curiosity … it’s good to have some discussion with the FIA ​​because they gave five seconds without any discussion and the race was over.

“So, it didn’t feel fair … (I felt) exhausted and flat.”

In contrast, Zhou believes that this is a dunk penalty for Kakuda. He said: “It’s very simple.

“Going into Turn 1 and into the middle, I was in the lead and I actually gave a lot of space. Then I saw that he (and him) didn’t stop.

“(He tried to) release the brakes (but he) drove me away and I had to take avoidance action and (use) the escape route or we would collide.

“So, it was tricky after that because I had a lot of rubbish on my tyres. But in the end, I was able to stay in the right position behind him and regain the position.”

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