Sergio Perez was left puzzled by Carlos Sainz’s team radio message during their intense battle in the Austrian Grand Prix, where Sainz claimed that Perez was “pushing him off the track” and “intimidating him.”
Perez, who started 15th on the grid after a difficult qualifying session, made an impressive recovery to finish third and secure his first podium finish in nearly two months. During the race, he engaged in a fierce fight with Sainz for the final podium spot, with Sainz later demoted to sixth due to track limits breaches.
When informed about Sainz’s radio message in the post-race FIA press conference, Perez found it amusing and stated that he hadn’t spoken to Sainz to understand what he meant by it.
Perez denied intentionally being overly aggressive with Sainz and described their battle as enjoyable. He acknowledged that Ferrari had strong performance in the exit of Turn 3, which made the fight challenging at times.
Regarding his return to the podium after a string of races without a top-three finish, Perez expressed his satisfaction, especially at Red Bull’s home race. However, he remained frustrated with his qualifying result due to deleted laps for track limits violations in Q2.
Despite battling illness throughout the weekend, Perez was pleased with his performance and credited the team’s strategy for his impressive climb from 15th on the grid. He highlighted the need to review the decision to stay out during the early Virtual Safety Car period and discussed the strategy and tire choices made during the race.
When asked if he believes he is back to his best after a series of challenging races, Perez confirmed that he feels confident and believes the team has addressed the issues from previous races, allowing him to perform at his best.
Overall, Perez expressed his satisfaction with his podium finish and credited the team’s efforts in overcoming the challenges they faced during the weekend.
