"There were no problems" - Max Verstappen not looking for excuse after his defeat to Sergio Perez

Max Verstappen had a miserable Sunday and was ultimately unsuccessful in winning the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He has now clarified the issue. During the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Verstappen was forced to concede that Sergio Perez was superior in the race.

After an unfortunate safety car for him, he lost the lead, but Checo was already breathing down his neck. The defending champion battled during the rest of the race with small adjustments, which he often made while working on his wheel. When questioned about those issues, he brushed the question aside:

"There were no problems. There were no problems with it. I probably use those settings a bit differently than Checo. As I said, maybe I wasn't using the right settings with the new Pirelli tyres, which might be more noticeable on a street circuit, because here you need more confidence in the corners. The balance has to be as close to perfect as possible."

He continued:

"So yes, I had a really hard time at the start of the race and tried everything. I couldn't manage it until the end of the race. The team helped me with that. In the run-up to the next races, so there's going to be some research to see what we can do better operationally. However, sometimes you have weekends where everything goes perfectly and your car is like a rocket. It is this year too, but it still needs some work to be fine-tuned."

Sergio Perez scored a total of 33 points, eight points in Saturday's sprint and 25 points by winning the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He closed the gap between himself and Max Verstappen.

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Max Verstappen - George Russell drama continues

Verstappen and Russell

During the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the pair managed to stay out of each other's way, which had nothing to do with George Russell starting in P11. After the race, Russell was asked by the media if he had spoken to Max Verstappen following the incident which saw them exchange some heated words.

"No, there’s nothing really to say from my side. At the end of the day, it’s a moment for everybody. I don’t know if he feels differently now, at the end of the day, it’s a bit of a racing incident.”

The first lap drama involving Verstappen and Russell left the former's sidepod which cost him a good performance in the Sprint. Despite the damage, he managed to get into the top three and went on to finish second in Sunday's race.