Sergio Perez may not have made it to the end of the race in Abu Dhabi, but the Mexican played a huge part in Max Verstappen's race. Perez held up Lewis Hamilton for several laps with his old tyres. At Ziggo Sport he explains how difficult it was.
Perez asks Jack Plooij how you say thank you in Dutch after Plooij thanks him on behalf of the whole of the Netherlands for his wonderful fight with Hamilton. "I think it was important and crucial today to get there," he responds.
Verstappen already indicated that he has won the world championship thanks to his teammate. Hamilton lost a lot of time by the fight with Perez, causing the Dutchman to end up right behind the car of his rival.
Crucial role Perez
"I found myself in a position where I could really make a difference for Max. Lewis had the race pretty much in control at that point. He would have had enough time for the virtual safety car windows."
"It was very important, but I was on really old tyres. They were at the end of their life. I managed to hold him back and make him lose a couple of seconds. That was crucial today. I’m very happy for Max and the Red Bull team," said the Mexican.