Sergio Perez won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix with an amazing perfomance in the street circuit of Jeddah. Checo got his first victory in the 2023 season and fifth overall in Formula 1. Max Verstappen was second after starting the race in 15th place. The Mexican pilot is a real contender this year.
Though Sergio Perez was hesitant in the start of the race, losing the first place to Fernando Alonso, the pride of Guadalajara kept his composure and recovered the lead very quickly. He never looked back and confirmed his dominance in the street circuits of Formula 1. However, the end of the race was very controversial for Red Bull.
In a historic achievement, Sergio Perez was going to be the new leader of the World Championship with the victory and the fastest lap at Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, Max Verstappen disobeyed team orders and went for the extra point putting in danger his race after he admitted there were mechanical problems with his car. Checo Perez took notice.
F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023: Checo Perez and Max Verstappen have first controversy
Even after he celebrated in the podium, Sergio Perez didn't know Max Verstappen won the extra point thanks to the fastest lap in Saudi Arabia. Red Bull guaranteed Checo on the radio that he had the fastest lap and that Max Verstappen wasn't going to push in the end. Of course, Max didn't listen.
"I have very little information right now. I just know he did the fastest lap (Max Verstappen). We have to talk about it as a team. We had a very similar rythm. Let's see what happens. I have to trust my team and they told me I had the fastest lap. So, I just had to keep the pace. They have more information than I do (Red Bull), but, after this, the team has to think about it. If the team gives you an order and you don't respect it, it's not ideal."
On the other side, Max Verstappen justified his decision to go all-in even with different orders. "We had to keep our pace. I already had a terrible day yesterday and I was just trying to save the weekend. I just wanted to know what was happening (with the fastest lap). It was a good team result, but, for myself, this is not where I want to finish. I was just trying to recover."
When the controversy exploded in Red Bull, the team's director, Christian Horner, tried to calm the situation. "When we knew about Max's problems the idea was let's bring this car home. That point meant a lot to him (Max). Both drivers have the same opportunity. Checo knew Max was going to go at it in the last lap."
After two races, Max Verstappen is leader of the World Championship with 44 points and Checo Perez is second with 43. The next battle for them will be on Sunday, April 2 at the Australian Grand Prix. At the moment, Red Bull look very comfortable in the Constructors' Championship and Perez seems to be the only real threat to Verstappen.
