WATCH: Perez Demands a ‘Couple of Tequilas’ From Verstappen for Fending Off Hamilton

As the first stint of the Turkish GP died down to a dull spell, Sergio Perez brought the race back to life. His defense against Lewis Hamilton was absolutely stunning. As the Red Bull copilot in the championship, not only did he help the team, but more importantly, his teammate. In holding back Lewis, Checo helped Max hold on to his crucial P2 position.

Now six points ahead of Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen has regained his lead with six rounds to go. As a result, Checo believes Verstappen should reward him for his contribution in the title battle. In an interview with SkySports F1, Perez exclaimed, “you owe me a couple of tequilas man!” 

Max promised to reward his teammate after the weekend in Mexico. Certainly, Perez would love to add to that agreement over the next two races as well.

Sergio Perez took over the Turkish GP

Lewis Hamilton joined the top five of the race within the first 15 laps of the race; his Mercedes showing incredible pace. However, on lap 35, Checo pulled out magic from under his sleeves. For the four consecutive corners, Perez and Hamilton engaged in a wheel-to-wheel battle that was the highlight of the entire race.

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Perez reflected on the profound moment of the race. “It was pretty intense at that point because I think Lewis really got me at… my worst point of my race today because I was struggling so much with my tires at that point.

“So to hold him back at that time was pretty challenging; we had a good fight, I had to go and avoid the pit bollard on the pit entry, but it was a good fight overall, managed to stay ahead.”

However, the battle to P4 wasn’t enough for the Mexican. A last-minute move on Charles Leclerc guaranteed Perez his second podium of the season. A confidence boost for the Red Bull debutant; if Perez continues in this trajectory, it would help Red Bull’s chances for a double title.

Perez said, “It’s been coming for many races. But certainly, it’s nice, especially in a race today [because] I felt so uncomfortable with the car and we didn’t have quite the pace to match the Mercs, and I feel like we maximized our result today. I’m sure that if we are able to do that for the next six races, we can still win this championship.”

As the ‘Istan-bulls’ celebrate their double podium in white, the Milton-Keynes team has six rounds to close the 36-point gap to their rivals. The countdown to Abu Dhabi has begun; who will end the season on a high?

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