Perez: I would never disobey team orders
ByAutoSport
Published 13/06/2017 at 15:30 GMT
Sergio Perez insists he would never disobey Formula 1 team orders from the pitwall, despite the controversy over his actions in the Canadian Grand Prix.
Eurosport
Image credit: Eurosport
Perez caused intrigue at Montreal when Force India suggested letting team-mate Esteban Ocon through to help in their fight against Daniel Ricciardo for a podium finish.
But although Ocon was disappointed, Perez says he does not understand what the fuss was all about, because Force India never ordered him to move aside.
"The problem is that the press has created these stories - because I've never disobeyed an order," Perez told Autosport.
"All we had was a discussion about whether to let Ocon pass me.
"But I increased my speed and approached Ricciardo, and that was it. At no time did I ignore my team.
"I am here to give the best results to Force India and if I get an order, I will follow it. But here, there was no order."
Although Ocon felt that he would have had a chance of getting Ricciardo for third, Perez said that the pair had cleared things up on Sunday night and that there was no problem between them.
"Yes, all is well between Ocon and me," added Perez.
"Everyone on the team feels there is a good atmosphere, especially after an excellent result and on a weekend where we were as competitive as we were.
"We should be happy because we added 18 points [in the constructors' championship] - the same amount as Ferrari did today.
"Our rivals did not add much, so we should be happy and not focus on stories that I didn't respect team orders - because there were none.
"It's good that Esteban is at that pace. It's important for the team that Esteban keeps doing a good job. I'll keep doing my thing."
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