Sergio Perez finished second during what can only be described as a chaotic Malaysian Grand Prix, but claims his late mistake cost the team a win.
The Mexican hustled eventual winner Fernando Alonso for several laps at the end of the race before running wide at turn 14 to ease the pressure on the Spaniard.
When asked if he could have won, he replied: “I think so, I definitely think so. I was catching Fernando at the end. I knew I had to catch him soon as I was losing the tyres with a lot of degradation, so it was not easy.”
Perez described his mistake in more detail, explaining: “I ran wide, touched the kerb and went sideways.
![Isack Hadjar [pictured] has deferred to Max Verstappen for Day 2 of the F1 pre-season test. Image: Red Bull Content Pool](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Isack-Hadjar-Red-Bull-test-2026-120x86.webp)
“I lost the win probably. It was difficult to catch him, but the win was possible. The team did an incredible job, they called me into the pits at the right time.
“The pace was fantastic, I was really quick. The team has done a fantastic job, so I’m very happy for them.”
![Isack Hadjar [pictured] has deferred to Max Verstappen for Day 2 of the F1 pre-season test. Image: Red Bull Content Pool](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Isack-Hadjar-Red-Bull-test-2026-350x250.webp)
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