The first sector of the circuit, which includes eight turns, is largely comprised of a run of high-speed kinks.
Horner says in that particular area of the track Verstappen had an edge that ultimately enabled him to outpace Perez and claim victory.
The Dutchman started the race from ninth place after a red flag ended Q3 before he could complete his final flying lap, while Perez was on pole.
They took opposite strategies for the race, with Verstappen’s hard/medium choice ultimately beating Perez’s more obvious option of medium/hard.
Verstappen showed impressive pace throughout, notably when he was on older hard tyres than Perez in the middle part of the race.
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“It's just purely sector one, I think [Turns] 3, 4, 5 and 6,” said Horner when asked where Verstappen had the advantage.
“Max was outstanding in that sector. And I think the rest of the lap was much of a muchness. But sector one was where Max was really doing a lot of damage.”
Asked to expand, Horner added: “I think it's the way that the sequence of corners flows. It's hard to pinpoint any particular area of consistency.
“I think that Max was on fire through that sector all weekend. But it will vary from circuit to circuit.”
Source: Autosport