Jos Verstappen says it is “disappointing” Red Bull chose to prioritise Sergio Perez over Max during the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Mexican had been the quicker driver in the team all weekend in Monte Carlo and qualified ahead despite crashing at the end of Q3 in qualifying.
After heavy rain just before the race start, Perez and Red Bull then perfectly timed moves first to intermediate tyres and then to slicks allowing Checo to jump the Ferraris into the lead and ultimately go on to win.
Superhombre! ??♂️ pic.twitter.com/CPbSnRlHCK
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) May 31, 2022
But while Perez was the lead driver on track when those calls were made, Verstappen Sr. argues it should have been in the team’s interest to optimise Max’s result instead of his teammate.
“Red Bull achieved a good result, but at the same time exerted little influence on helping Max to the front,” the former F1 driver told his son’s website. “That he finished third, he owes to Ferrari’s mistake at that second stop of Charles [Leclerc].
“The championship leader, Max, was not helped in that sense by the chosen strategy. It turned completely in Checo’s favour.
“That was disappointing to me, and I would have liked it to be different for the championship leader.
“Of course, I am not entirely objective,” the Dutchman conceded, “but I think 10 points for Max were thrown away. Especially with the two retirements we had [in Bahrain and in Melbourne], we need every point.
“Don’t forget that Ferrari currently has a better car, especially in qualifying.”
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For his part, Max actually praised the job Red Bull did for him during the race and was willing to accept a small increase in his championship lead on a weekend where he wasn’t at his usual best.
“I didn’t have a great feeling in the car initially but it’s also still a new car and very different to set up than the old cars,” Verstappen told Sky Sports post-race.
“I like a lot of front grip, which I don’t really have at the moment – well, sometimes, and around here front grip is very important.
“But I think we recovered well and you have to accept sometimes when it is not your weekend. You know when you fight for the championship you always have to score points.”