'We Can Assume Second Place': Helmut Marko Responds To Perez's Sao Paulo Performance
F1Tuesday, 07 November 2023 at 03:00
Red Bull Racing F1 advisor Helmut Marko reflected on the performance of Sergio Perez during the 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix race at Interlagos Circuit.
Sergio Perez started the Sunday race in Sao Paulo from the ninth position on the grid. Throughout the race, he managed to climb up to the third position but lost it in the end to Fernando Alonso.
The battle between Checo and the Spanish matador is one of the highlights of the race. The two have been battling on the track for 15 laps straight.
Sergio Perez, who was first in fourth place, overtook Alonso during the penultimate lap of the race but made a tiny mistake going into the first corner during the final lap.
Experienced two-time World Champion capitalized on his mistake as he managed to overtake Checo going into turn four and then won the drag race out of turn 12 to the finish line by 0.053 seconds.
The Mexican driver has not achieved a podium for five races straight, and it was 0.053 seconds that separated him from third place this time.
What is gutting for Perez is he seemed to have a lot more pace than the Aston Martin driver. After being asked whether there was anything Perez could have done differently, Helmut Marko told Sky Germany:
"That's all in hindsight. The mistake was that Checo didn't get out of Turn 3 properly and later made a little move on the straight on the way to Turn 1, but anyway, unbelievable."
Perez's second place in the Championship has been endangered because the point gap to Lewis Hamilton in third place came down to about 20 points before the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. However, he extended the gap this weekend.
"Since Mexico, Checo's pace has been right, both in qualifying and in the race. He now has a solid 30-point lead over Lewis, so now we can assume second place."
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