The fight between Fernando Alonso and Sergio Pérez kept the fans on the edge of their seats during the Brazilian GP. The battle for third place followed the two drivers all the way to the last lap, seeing World Champion Fernando Alonso on the podium once again, after his last rostrum appearance at the Dutch GP.
The Red Bull driver saw the third place slip away by just 0.053 seconds. He had had passed Alonso with two laps to go, but the Spaniard claimed it back on the final tour on the run to turn 4.
Horner believes a moment at turn 2 ultimately opened the door for the two-time World Champion to reclaim P3.
“I thought he drove brilliantly well. He had a little bit of a wobble at [turn] two, which allowed Fernando, who was pretty quick on the straights today, to have a go. He did his best to hang on to it though.
“But I think for Checo to outscore Lewis [Hamilton] by 12 points this weekend, it’s been a very strong weekend for him.”
With only two races left before the end of the season, the Mexican is now 32 points clear of Hamilton in the standings.
For Horner, this race represents proof of Pérez’s best form and gives him a timely boost of confidence. The 33-year-old scored 18 points in Brazil after bagging just 19 across the four previous events.
“A third in the sprint, fourth from ninth on the grid with the yellow flag he got in qualifying, I think there’s been very good points for him.
“I think it was important for his confidence. This is the Checo that we know, and we know what he is capable of. It will give him just the boost he needs going to Vegas, another street track that he always performs well at. And then it’s Abu Dhabi one week after.”
With a DNF on the first lap of his home GP behind him that hurt his driver mentally and emotionally, for Horner the Brazil weekend was the big moment for Pérez’s best form to come through again.
“I think he’s focusing more on the basics. And I think that’s coming together for him.”
Photo credit: Red Bull Racing
