At the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, it was only bad luck that prevented Sergio Perez from taking victory in the Middle East.
The Mexican took pole position and comfortably led the first stint of the race but unfortunately for Perez, a poorly timed safety car allowed his rivals who were on different strategies to leapfrog him, leaving him in P4.
During this year’s iteration of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Perez once again took pole position and after a short battle with Fernando Alonso, built up a healthy lead at the front.
A safety car caused by Lance Stroll’s retirement did not hinder the Mexican this time and he went on to win the race, ahead of his teammate Max Verstappen who recovered from his P15 start spectacularly.
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Verstappen was told not to worry about the fastest lap towards the end of the race, which was held by Perez at the time, but the Dutchman decided to disobey his team.
The 25-year-old set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap to snatch the extra championship point away from Perez.
Following the race, Perez posted a tweet about his victory, perhaps suggesting that he was unhappy with his teammate.
“It was tougher than I thought, but in the end I’m very happy to get my fifth victory in F1. Very happy with the result of the team. We are going to keep pushing very hard, I want to be champion,” he tweeted.
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Perez quickly deleted this tweet and reposted it without the line: “I want to be champion,” which was perhaps a dig at Verstappen following the controversial end to the race.
Heading into the 2023 season, Perez was very vocal about the fact that he wanted to battle his teammate for the championship this year.
With Red Bull looking to be a level above their rivals this season, the title battle may only be between Perez and Verstappen, meaning that the Mexican has a genuine chance to win the championship should he be able to get the better of his teammate.