Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko claims Sergio Perez lost out on a podium at the 2023 Spanish GP due to a bad start. The Mexican driver made an error in Q2 and started the race in P11, much to the dismay of the team.
The RB19’s current pace surpasses that of its rivals to such an extent that Red Bull nearly assumed Checo’s eventual presence on the podium was a given. Verstappen had previously achieved this with relative ease, as demonstrated in the Miami GP, leading to a sense of assurance within the team.
However, Sergio Perez was passed by both Mercedes drivers and ultimately crossed the finish line in fourth place, an unsatisfactory outcome that failed to meet the high expectations set by a demanding Helmut Marko.
Marko further criticized Perez’s ‘poor’ start, which, in his view, ultimately cost him a podium finish.
As reported by the Spanish wing of Motorsport.com, Marko said about Perez’s race:
“Checo had a good race, yes, but his start was really bad. Russell got ahead of him and otherwise, a podium would have been possible,”
Max Verstappen now leads his teammate Perez by 53 points in the drivers’ standings.
Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen do not have different cars, claims Red Bull engineer
Red Bull Racing’s chief engineer Paul Monaghan affirmed that there are no disparities between the cars driven by Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
Perez faced difficulties during the Monaco race, resulting in a 16th-place finish. Meanwhile, Verstappen triumphed in the race, further extending his lead in the Drivers’ Championship.
During the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend, Max Verstappen secured pole position in qualifying while Perez encountered issues and qualified in 11th place. However, Perez made a strong comeback during the race, finishing in fourth place, while Verstappen once again emerged as the victor.
Speaking to the media in Barcelona, Paul Monaghan made it clear that both Perez and Verstappen have the same RB19 cars at their disposal:
“The cars are the same, whatever you need, we’ll do everything we can to support and accompany you. And who knows, maybe I’ll end up on the podium here and then win in Montreal. It’s not like we’re going to change our approach or anything like that. We treat pilots fairly and support them to the best of our ability.”
It will be interesting to see if Sergio Perez makes a comeback in Canada, given his command over street tracks.