Opinion: Red Bull should have maximized lead with fastest lap Perez

While the Monaco Grand Prix weekend was a masterclass for both Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing, with both receiving near-perfect scores from pundits, the question remains as to whether or not the team could have snatched the fastest lap from under Lewis Hamilton's nose as well. Should Red Bull Racing have chased down the fastest lap with Sergio Perez to complete their dominance over Mercedes in Monaco?

Since its introduction in 2019, the one-point reward for the fastest race lap has provided an extra bit of excitement towards the end of a Grand Prix, whereas previously, the point was mostly fought over for prestige.

In this year's racing season, however, it has become clear that these points, in a battle as fiercely fought as that between Verstappen and Hamilton, might spell the difference between winning and losing the title.

Perceived risk

Perez finished his race in Monaco with a lead of more than 27 seconds over Sebastian Vettel. He had both the opportunity, and the set of soft tyres, to try and steal the fastest lap from Hamilton. Not only would he have increased Verstappen's lead in the title race to five, he would also have done Red Bull Racing a favour by increasing their lead over Mercedes from one to three.

At the Red Bull pit wall, however, the decision was made otherwise. Horner told Formel1.de that the team anticipated a mistake by Norris, which ruled out an extra pit stop for Perez. Nevertheless the wisdom of this is questionable; do you choose for 1 point with relative certainty, or 3 points depending on a specific situation? While it is true that Norris only needed one additional violation of track limits for a time penalty, this chance became smaller the closer the end of the race approached. Should Red Bull Racing have risked securing the fastest lap of the race with Sergio Perez to complete their domination over Mercedes in Monaco?