Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has admitted Sergio Perez was "lucky" to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Perez beat his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen, who finished second, closing his gap at the top of the driver's standings to just six points. However, Verstappen was cost the lead after he pitted moments before the Safety Car emerged after AlphaTauri driver Nyck de Vries crashed.
Perez, meanwhile, pitted while the Safety Car was out, a move which saved him more time than his teammate. And Horner admitted Perez got "lucky" with the timing of his pit stop, with the Red Bull chief telling Verstappen over the team radio: "Well done Max.
"Checo got a little lucky with the Safety Car but it's a long season and very good points today. Great team result." He later reiterated these comments in an interview with Sky Sports, adding that Verstappen's "misfortune was Checo's good fortune".
"He [Perez] has had a sensational weekend," Verstappen said. "He has always been amazing at this track, I don't know what it is about Azerbaijan. He absolutely excels here and he got a little lucky with a Safety Car today but he converted that and pulled a gap and had the pace.
"He really controlled the race so a phenomenal drive by him all weekend. We had already committed to the stop [for Verstappen]…. but sometimes things like that don't go your way. His misfortune was Checo's good fortune."
Perez, meanwhile, remains convinced he can challenge Verstappen for the world title this year with both drivers now having won two races each. Reflecting on his win, Perez said: "It is a long year ahead, but I really believe I am in the fight.
"I wouldn't say today's race was my best ever, but it was just very good. I pushed from start to the end without mistakes. When you do that, you believe you can beat anyone so it is just about keeping it up throughout the season.
"I only regret the problems we had in Melbourne that made us lose a lot of points. Without that, I could have been closer in the championship."
