'It Was Shame': Perez Reacts After Race In Jeddah

Sunday, 10 March 2024 at 13:30

Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez, who finished second during the second race of the season, suggested there are still "some bits to tidy up."

Sergio Perez won the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Mexican driver seems to be strong around street circuits, and he proved that in 2024 as well.

On the one hand, he lost some time in the traffic after his first pit stop. On the other hand, once he made his way through to the second position, he was able to match the pace of his teammate, Max Verstappen. He told the media after the race:

"It was a shame that we got the penalty. Luckily it did not hurt out race, but I think in this scenario, it was quite close to Max and everyone was coming in at the same time. We just need a wider pit-lane."

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The 34-year-old received a five-second penalty for an unsafe release in the pitlane during his first (and the only) stop in the race. Having shown a very strong pace on Saturday, Perez regretted not putting himself in a better position during qualifying.

"We definitely made some progress, and it is a shame we didn't qualify on the front-row. We had a great start, unfortunately, Charles was in the way and we couldn't get through and it was a nice fight but a compromised race."

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is so tough on the tires, and almost everyone wanted to make it a one-stop race. Due to early safety car (lap 7 out of 50), drivers had to extend their second stint longer than they would have liked.

"With the Safety Car so early, it was a very long stint on the Hard, and it was tricky at times, especially in the beginning with no warm-up, and it took us a long time to get through Lewis [Hamilton] and Lando [Norris]."

However, in the end, Checo brought home the P2 and completed the second consecutive one-two finish for the team from Milton Keynes. Even Helmut Marko praised the 34-year-old, saying he was "very satisfied" with his performance. Perez added:

"But it is a great day for the team, it is a very different track to Bahrain, and we just have to keep this momentum going. We still have some bits to tidy up."