Red Bull's Sergio Perez was thrilled to help give his team their first 1-2 finish in six years, as the Mexican driver came home second to teammate Max Verstappen at Imola. With Verstappen dominating proceedings at the front, Perez made a strong start from third on the grid to vault past Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and slot into second. Through the pit-stops to change to the slicks, Perez briefly lost position to Leclerc but made the most of his warmer tyres to storm back past the championship leader and secure the position. With Red Bull's last 1-2 coming at the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix, a beaming Perez said securing the best possible result hadn't been easy.
Securing Red Bull's 1-2 was "so tricky"
"Yeah, it was a really intense fight since pretty much halfway through the race," Perez said after the chequered flag. "It was all under control, but then [Ferrari] started chasing us with the stop, and then it was a fight trying to warm up the tyres. "I think the most important thing today was not making mistakes because, with these conditions, it was so tricky out there. "To get a 1-2 in these conditions, I think it's a great result for the team." After a tough start to the 2022 championship for Red Bull, Perez said he was overjoyed to see the smiles amongst his crew. "We've been so unlucky," he commented. "The start has been so difficult for us, so I'm very pleased to see everyone on my team is smiling today."
Perez aiming for the top step
With Perez managing second, Verstappen made the most of the conditions to win his second race of the year. Having fallen to almost 15 seconds behind his teammate, Perez said he still has work to do to be able to reach the top step of the podium. "That's the target!" Perez added. "Today is a great day for the team and we just have to keep working. "I think there are still a few bits that we have to make better to get closer to the win, but I'm very happy that Max got it today."
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