Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso gave us a run for our money when the two drivers went on to have a photo finish in the Brazilian GP of 2023. They were separated on the finish line by only five thousandths of a second as they battled for the podium until the last corner. Unfortunately, one of the cars could come out as the winner in this battle.
Surprisingly, despite their recent letdowns after the summer break, Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso managed to beat Sergio Perez’s Red Bull to the line, causing him to lose a potential podium and join his teammate Max Verstappen during the celebrations.
Helmut Marko talks about Sergio Perez vs Fernando Alonso race for podium finish
Helmut Marko would be watching the Brazilian GP with a lot of attention, as the situation is critical with his second driver, who is looming under the threat of losing his Red Bull seat. It was obvious that Marko would analyze Sergio Perez’s every moment to make an important decision if required later on.
Marko has noted two race-defining mistakes that, according to him, changed the fate of Checo’s results.
“In hindsight, you’re smarter,” he told Sky Deutschland when asked if Perez could’ve done things differently. “The mistake was that he didn’t come out of Turn 3 properly, then he just made a small move on the start-finish straight on the way to Turn 1.”
“Since Austin, the pace has been right in both qualifying and the race,” said Marko. “We now have a commanding lead over Hamilton of almost 30 points. That should now work out for second place.”
Marko’s words of affirmation will come off as a relief to Sergio Perez, amidst all the drama surrounding his Red Bull expulsion.
Sergio Perez performance at Brazilian GP 2023
After the lap 1, turn 1 disaster with Charles Leclerc during his home GP, Sergio Perez was determined to change the results in the upcoming races to prove his worth. Checo was ready to go all in and even asked for further support from his team. Although he couldn’t manage a race win, Sergio Perez finished the sprint race on the podium with a third-place finish. Perez would then go on to overtake Fernando Alonso during the penultimate lap of Sunday’s race but Fernando was having none of it as he weaved past the RB of Checo to claim 3rd during the race.
Even though Checo lost by 0.053s, he was still able to impress Red Bull by reminding them of his skills in lieu of a confirmed seat. Sergio Perez may have to say goodbye to Red Bull if he loses the 2nd in driver’s championships. Fortunately for him, the gap between him and Lewis is almost 30, with Lewis’s car in shambles when it comes to performance.
What are your thoughts about the shocking regressing of Mercedes, just after one of their strongest races yet in Mexico? Tell us in the comments.
