“Leclerc then tried to outbrake him on the outside, so Max just released the brake and put Leclerc in a position where he couldn’t turn into the corner. He had to let Max go.”

Perez has secured second place in the Drivers’ Championship ahead of Lewis Hamilton after securing the six points he needed to mathematically put himself beyond the reach of the Mercedes star. But with a 276-point margin separating himself and Verstappen after just two victories in the RB19 this season, there are more improvements to be made.

He has been under pressure to keep his seat for 2024 and his failure to keep Leclerc at bay will only strengthen those calls, but Christian Horner has quashed reports that he could be replaced by Yuki Tsunoda, Daniel Ricciardo or Liam Lawson with public assurances that their second driver will remain with the team for next season.

And Perez will be hoping to prove his doubters wrong with a statement performance in their curtain raiser in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.