'Perez could have made sure he stayed ahead of Verstappen himself'

Juan Pablo Montoya believes that Sergio Perez himself could have made sure that team orders were not necessary in the Spanish Grand Prix. If the Mexican had driven faster, he probably would not have had to let Max Verstappen ahead.

After the Spanish Grand Prix, there was much ado about Red Bull Racing's team orders. Perez was asked at the head of the race to leave Verstappen in front because he was faster on fresh tires. The Mexican complied, but let his dissatisfaction with the team's choice be heard on the board radio.

Perez not fast enough

''It's a difficult call. But you need to understand at that point, for Red Bull Max is the number one. He won the last few races and the championship last year. I understand Checo's point of view, but the only way he can defend it is to run quicker. He knew Max was on a different strategy, he should've pushed harder,'' Montoya told Sky Sports.

''If he opens a big enough gap, then the team can't tell him anything. The team wouldn't tell him to slow down so that Max can win. He didn't run fast enough, and the team didn't want both cars racing. Even if they tell him to race ,I still think Max would've won the race, that wouldn't have been an issue,'' the Colombian concludes.