Sergio Perez took victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix – but would he have beaten Max Verstappen in a straight shootout on the day?
According to his race engineer Hugh Bird, yes he would. That message was relayed by Formula 1 commentator David Croft, who told Sky Sports viewers of a private chat he and fellow presenter Karun Chandhok had with the Red Bull employee while travelling from Baku to Miami.
Perez won the race over Verstappen in second place, but the Dutchman did have his race strategy ruined by an unfortunately timed safety car. He had only just pitted for fresh tyres when the yellow flags began to wave, meaning most others were able to make a cheap stop.
