When the Belgian Grand Prix race weekend ended, Red Bull remained victorious. The Austrian team has won every race of the season, and it does not look like it is going to stop soon. The race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit resulted in a Red Bull one-two with 2X WDC champion, Max Verstappen finishing first, followed by his Mexican teammate, Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez.
Perez’s last few races and recent qualifying sessions have resulted in a number of blunders from the team. Helmut Marko, Red Bull advisor, commented, “For Perez, that second place is a victory.” After a string of challenging races, Sergio Perez’s performance at the Belgian Grand Prix signaled a turning point. Helmut Marko ultimately lauded Perez’s second-place finish, even though he came in more than 20 seconds behind his teammate Verstappen.
Helmut Marko says P2 is like a win for Sergio Perez:
“[Max’s drive] It was so sovereign. He was really incredibly strong.”
“For Perez, that second place is a victory.”#F1 pic.twitter.com/qlQeK2c9tX
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 31, 2023
Early on in the race, Perez took the lead. With impressive poise, he held off competitors until being passed by Verstappen, securing an impressive outcome for himself and the team. The team advisor’s emotion was, however, felt as he talked about the stunning victory that the Dutch Red Bull driver secured from sixth place by demonstrating unparalleled authority. The performance was described as “sovereign” by Marko, who additionally praised Verstappen’s exceptional skill.
What went wrong with Sergio Perez?
Sergio Perez defied expectations by climbing from eighth to third in the Hungarian Grand Prix, exhibiting a remarkable feat of skill and grit. With Max Verstappen dominating the race, Red Bull celebrated a remarkable feat of scoring straight victories in the 2023 season. He worked superbly despite the challenges he faced, especially in light of the extra pressure brought on by Daniel Ricciardo’s position at Red Bull, who recently moved to AlphaTauri.
We had a great start, the important thing was to make sure we finished the car without damage and to score some good points.
The goal is to stay on the podium for the rest of the yearTuvimos un gran comienzo, lo importante fue asegurarnos de terminar el auto sin daños y sumar… pic.twitter.com/gnqeST67H3
— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) July 30, 2023
Sergio Perez was incompetent with the car ever since the Monaco Grand Prix and has scored three podiums in total despite being in second place in the WDC with 189 points and seven podiums. However, in the most recent race in Belgium, Perez got off to a strong start by quickly overtaking Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc on the very first lap. In the beginning, he was able to create some distance between himself and the Monegasque driver.
He tried his best to challenge Verstappen, who holds the world championship title currently. But being the Dutchman’s teammate is a great task in itself, as his skill on the track is hard to match. The focus is still on Perez as the season proceeds, as fans eagerly wait to see if he can keep up this spectacular pace and continue to prove his value in Formula 1.