Sergio Perez was a big help to Max Verstappen for the win in France. With Perez staying within the pit window of both Mercedes cars, the 'Silver Arrows' didn't dare gamble on a two-stop.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said this after the Grand Prix at Circuit Paul Ricard. Perez always stayed close to Mercedes-duo Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas and with good tyre management managed to overtake the Finnish driver for a place on the podium. And that continued pressure allowed Verstappen to win the race on a different strategy.
Perez does what he is asked to do
"The two-stop strategy was in jeopardy because Perez was in the way," Wolff is quoted as saying by Motorsport-Total.com. When the Mexican drove further behind, an extra pit stop was among the options available to the German formation.
"If Perez had not been in our window, we would have gone for at least two stops with one car. At the moment we have four cars racing against each other," Wolff admitted. With the strong race, Perez has done exactly what Red Bull is asking of him: keep the pressure on Mercedes and snatch points whenever possible.