Sergio Perez held off Max Verstappen’s comeback and won the Saudi Arabian Formula 1 Grand Prix on Sunday.
Verstappen went from the 15e second to earn the Red Bull team a second double in what looks to be another dominant season for the reigning Formula 1 champions.
“Very good job guys. It’s a great result for the team,” said Perez, who finished the race about five seconds ahead of Verstappen.
There have only been two races contested so far, but the Red Bulls have scored two wins, two one-twos and they have caused a sigh of despair from everyone else on the grid.
Fernando Alonso thought he had completed the podium for a second race in a row, but he was given a 10-second penalty and missed his 100e career podium by slipping to fourth place.
But even though the Spaniard is enjoying a renaissance with his new team, Aston Martin, he admitted he had very little chance of beating the Red Bulls.
Verstappen won a record 15 races last season and recorded a second successive Formula 1 title. Perez added two victories to help the Red Bull team win the constructors’ championship with 17 triumphs in 23 races.
There was no sign of a drop in performance and George Russell, who was promoted to third tier on Sunday, predicted after the first race of the season that the Red Bulls would win every race in 2023.
Lewis Hamilton, Russell’s team-mate at Mercedes, took fifth place just three days after saying his team needed to see three rival teams fail to finish the race for Mercedes to have a chance of winning.
“We’re not where we want to be, but we’re going to get there,” Hamilton told his team.
Verstappen put on a show on Sunday, overcoming mechanical problems in qualifying that forced him to start on 15e rank. The Dutchman came back and added a point to his total by setting the fastest lap.
“Nice recovery Max. It was very good driving at the end,” Red Bull team boss Christian Horner told Verstappen via team radio.
Verstappen felt the late push was worth the risk.
“I gave it a shot at the end and luckily it worked,” he said.
The Red Bulls have signed a third consecutive double if we go back to the last race in 2022.
It was a fifth career win for Perez, who started from pole for the second year in a row at the Jeddah circuit. The Mexican briefly led the driver standings until Verstappen edged him out due to his fastest lap.
“Let’s continue on this path. Let’s keep pushing,” Perez insisted.
Alonso, who started second, quickly took the lead but was penalized for not being well placed at the start. Perez found the front of the peloton to race to victory.
Quebecer Lance Stroll, aboard his Aston Martin, was forced to retire when his single-seater lost power on the 18e round.