Marko on Perez: 'Well, at least that gives him satisfaction'

Sergio Perez has expressed ambition to make a serious bid for the world championship. In that case, the Mexican will have to deal with teammate Max Verstappen. In Australia, the reigning title holder took his second win of the season, while Perez settled for fifth place and a point for the fastest lap.

Perez already knew on Saturday afternoon that a follow-up to his win in Jeddah was virtually impossible. The Mexican went off in Q1 of qualifying, leaving him last to qualify for the Grand Prix. Red Bull Racing decided to replace some parts of his car, eventually forcing Perez to start from the pit lane. During the race, Perez was lucky that Pierre Gasly, among others, crashed out, and Carlos Sainz received a time penalty. As a result, he gained some positions and thus crossed the line in fifth place.

In the battle for the championship, Perez lost important points. Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko could therefore only draw one conclusion to German Sky Sports: "It was not his weekend, but he drove the fastest lap in the end. Well, at least that gives him satisfaction after Jeddah."

In Jeddah, Perez saw - much to his frustration - that Verstappen snatched the point for the fastest race lap from him at the very last moment. The fifth-place finish, incidentally, brought an end to Red Bull's (short) series of one-twos in the 2023 season. "People always say we are superior when everything goes smoothly. Our rivals Aston Martin, Ferrari and Mercedes made strides [today]," Marko said.