Whilst Max Verstappen took all of the plaudits last season after winning a record breaking 15 races on the way to his second championship title, his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez also has reason to look back on the season fondly.
The Mexican was nicknamed the king of the street circuits, dominating the races at which Verstappen struggled.
Wins in Monaco and Singapore gave him this crown and the 33-year-old was unluckily to not win the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Perez took pole position in Jeddah and looked likely to win the race during the early stages however a poorly timed safety car hindered his chances of victory.
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The safety car did not fit in with Perez’s strategy, allowing his rivals to get free pit stops and leapfrog him in the running order, eventually seeing Perez finish in P4 and Verstappen win the race.
Heading into the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Perez has said that he is hoping to take victory this year, having missed out due to factors out of his control last year.
“It will be very interesting to see how everyone performs in Jeddah this week,” he said.
“I was very unluckily last year with the timing of the safety car while leading the race so hopefully it can be my turn to win.”
The track in Jeddah has undergone a number a changes ahead of this year’s race, with certain walls and fences pushed back to provide better sight lines for the drivers.
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A large number curbs have also been changed to encourage drivers to stay away from the walls, with the first two races in Jeddah being filled with crashes and high-profile incidents.
Red Bull look head and shoulders above the rest of the grid already this year, meaning that should Perez wish to win the 2023 Saudi GP, he will mainly need to get the better of his two-time world champion teammate.
Verstappen has recently admitted that he is not a fan of street circuits and judging by last season’s performances from Perez, this weekend could provide one of the Mexican’s best opportunities to beat his teammate.