Why was Max Verstappen unable to challenge Sergio Perez at the 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP? Red Bull driver explains

Max Verstappen felt that one of the reasons why he was unable to challenge Sergio Perez or even beat him in Baku was because he wasn't entirely comfortable with the car.

Verstappen lost the lead to his Red Bull teammate as he pitted just before the safety car was brought out. Taking advantage of the safety, the Mexican driver was able to leapfrog the two-time reigning world champion and remained unchallenged for the win from that point onwards.

Speaking about his battle with Perez during the post-race press conference, Max Verstappen said:

"I think the first stint, probably I could have been a little bit more aggressive with the way I was using my tyres. I think I was just too careful. And that's why, you know, Checo was still quite close to me. And then of course, we made the call to pit. I mean, I saw that there was a car stopped, I thought he maybe just locked-up."

He added:

"Then after the Safety Car, I tried to put the pressure on Checo, to try and get into that DRS. I think one time, I was pretty close to getting it. But it was just hanging in there, really close, trying to really catch-up probably damage my tyres a bit too much early on for such a long stint. So, then at one point, I just settled-in, tried to do a little bit my own thing, to not damage the tyres completely to the end."

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Max Verstappen felt he was on top of the problem in the last 10 laps

In what he termed a learning experience for himself, Max Verstappen revealed that he was able to get on top of the issues in the last 10 laps and was far more confident at that stage of the race.

He said:

"I actually think that I found a good compromise towards the end of the race because I think my last 10 laps were a lot stronger. And I felt a lot happier with the car, how everything was behaving. So, I think all in all, I can be quite pleased with second. I mean, of course you always want to win, right? But I think sometimes you need these kinds of weekends to learn and have a better understanding of the car."

Max Verstappen did see his championship lead get slashed to just six points after the race, with Sergio Perez emerging as a potential title challenger for the Dutch driver.