BBC F1 pundit feels 33-year-old will be ‘kicking himself’ after Las Vegas GP

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BBC F1 pundit Alice Powell feels Sergio Perez will be ‘kicking himself’ after Ferrari ace Charles Leclerc overtook the Red Bull driver for P2 on the last lap of the Las Vegas GP.

An early virtual safety car period saw Red Bull put Perez on a different strategy after contact into Turn 1. The 33-year-old required a new front wing after making contact with the rear of Valtteri Bottas’ Alfa Romeo. It was a domino effect of Fernando Alonso spinning at the start.

Alonso blocked the road as Bottas sought to take the outside line of the first corner. But the stricken pair also blocked the path of Perez, who ran P17 after his pit stop. It was also only a further frustrating moment for the Mexican in Nevada this week having qualified in just P12.

Perez recovered from a woeful qualifying for the Las Vegas GP podium

Perez started in P11 following the 10-place grid penalty Carlos Sainz received for requiring a new battery after damage from a water valve cover in FP1. Yet having to pit early ultimately played into Perez’s advantage as a later safety car period moved him into the fight for a win.

Ferrari not stopping Leclerc at the later safety car also handed the Red Bull pair of Perez and Max Verstappen a tyre advantage. They made light work of overtaking the Monegasque for the lead of the Las Vegas GP. Although Leclerc was able to recover and stayed behind Perez.

The Red Bull racer will be ‘kicking himself’ for letting Leclerc snatch P2

Leclerc spent the final laps of the Las Vegas GP locked onto the gearbox of Perez’s Red Bull around Sin City. Red Bull even moved to ask Verstappen to back off to give the 33-year-old a distant slipstream. It was a desperate bid by the Milton Keynes team to keep Perez ahead.

Yet, despite Verstappen backing off, Leclerc retook P2 on the last tour of the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. He made a late dive on the Mexican into T14 and seemingly caught the Red Bull star by surprise. Perez did not feel he had to defend the inside line with Leclerc far enough back.

But Powell believes Perez will be ‘kicking himself’ after losing P2 at the Las Vegas GP due to his naivety. The former W Series driver feels the Guadalajara native simply forgot how good the Ferrari pilot is whilst attacking. They crossed the finish line two-tenths of a second apart.

“Leclerc, we said he was going on the brakes but wow,” Powell said on BBC Radio 5 Live. “I mean, Perez will be kicking himself. He thought he didn’t even need to cover the inside, almost forgetting how good Charles Leclerc is on the brakes.”