Perez Salutes Alonso After Losing Battle For P3: 'It Was Well Deserved From Fernando'
F1Monday, 06 November 2023 at 19:00
Red Bull Racing F1 driver Sergio Perez praised Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso after an insane battle on the last laps of the 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Sergio Perez had to start the race from the ninth place on the grid after being caught out by yellow flags caused by Oscar Piastri during the Friday Qualification.
The Mexican driver, however, moved swiftly up the grid. It was 40 laps before the end of the race that Perez, in fourth place, closed the gap to Fernando Alonso in third to less than two seconds.
Perez was closing the gap to the Aston Martin driver at such a high rate up until that point, it seemed like he would get the third position in a couple of laps.
But the Spanish Matador knew what he was doing and started increasing his pace to manage the gap so Perez would not get the benefit of DRS.
Perez, on the other hand, did not give up and closed the gap to less than one second 18 laps before the end of the race. That's when the huge battle between the two drivers started.
Checo was putting constant pressure on the two-time World Champion, who was holding him behind for the next 16 laps, but one lap before the end of the race, Perez managed to overtake Alonso.
That was when Alonso thought it was all gone. But then, Perez made a mistake going into turn one of the final lap, which allowed Alonso to catch up and overtake him into turn four to regain the third position.
The battle persisted throughout the final lap, and it all came down to a drag race between the two drivers coming out of the final corner. In the end, Alonso snatched the third place by 0.053 seconds.
The Mexican driver told the media after the race the third place was well deserved for the Spanish matador, who did not give up even after being overtaken. Perez told Sky Sports.
"It was well deserved from Fernando. We had a great fight, very fair and to the limit. I think this is something that a lot of drivers can learn from because what we did, the way we fought, I think that is how it should be done."
Perez suggested he had the pace in the last couple of races, but the luck has not been on his side. In Austin, Perez started from ninth place, which set him back. In Mexico, he had to retire, and in Brazil, he yet again had to start from ninth place.
"I'm on the wrong side. I ended up losing, but it's fine. We've seen in the last couple of races that the pace has been there, that we've been really strong."
It seems like all Perez needs is one decent Qualifying session, and he will achieve a podium result. Checo will have two more chances in Las Vegas and then in the final race of the season - Abu Dhabi.
"For some reason or another, we haven't been able to get the final end result. But I just know that it's a matter of time."
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