When Sergio Perez secured the pole position for the 2023 Miami GP, everyone expected an easy win for the Mexican driver. However, Max Verstappen denied his teammate the chance to lead the championship by winning the race. Seeing the spectacle, Marko believes Checo learned a valuable lesson of never underestimating his teammate again.
Perez has been widely regarded as the ‘King of street circuits.’ However, the Dutchman’s performance in Miami was nothing less than a masterclass, claims Red Bull’s advisor Helmut Marko. The Austrian praised the 2x champion for choosing a daring strategy and winning the race after starting 9th.
Max Verstappen taught Checo a lesson. says Marko
Sergio Perez has a history of strong performances on street tracks. The Mexican has won 5 out of his 6 race wins on street circuits, with his latest silverware achieved in Baku this year. Hence it was widely believed that Checo would easily win the race in Miami, having qualified for the pole position.
However, Max Verstappen ended the Mexican racer’s party early with a fantastic win. Helmut Marko claims the win in Miami showed how good the Dutchman is compared to his teammate.
Marko told the Osterreich, “It was always clear. Checo is really strong on certain street circuits, like Baku. But in Miami, Max taught everyone a lesson.”
The slip that cost Max Verstappen a chance of pole 👀#MiamiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/J7d3eHTx0s
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 6, 2023
Marko also claims the 2x champion showed incredible skill in managing his old tires until the end to beat Perez and claim the extra point for the fastest lap. He added, “No one can copy the way he managed the tires so that the fastest lap was still possible at the end.”
Although Verstappen’s win upset Perez’s fans, the Austrian claims it was far better to see the Dutchman carve through the grid and win instead of winning from the pole. “Imagine if Max had started from Pole, then it would have been a boring race,” Marko added.
Marko issues a warning to Perez and Verstappen
Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen secured Red Bull’s 4th 1-2 finish in the first 5 races of the season. However, the two drivers almost collided on the track during the dying laps of the Miami GP.
Having pitted for the faster Medium tires on lap 44, Verstappen was closing in on Checo for the race lead. The Dutchman overtook his teammate at lap 1 and almost avoided contact with Perez’s RB19.
Racing hard and fair for the win 🤝🏆
🎥 @F1 pic.twitter.com/5VRXxjwoFf
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) May 9, 2023
While Marko appreciated Verstappen’s complete performance, he warned the two drivers from sabotaging each other’s results. “They are both mature enough to fight normally, especially with such a dominant car,” Marko told De Telegraaf.
Eventually, Perez yielded and stepped away from fighting Verstappen, who had fresher tires. He added, “It would be very stupid to hit each other and Checo also knew at that moment that Max had much better tyres.”
Perez closed the gap between him and the Dutchman after winning the 2023 Azerbaijan GP. Nevertheless, with his 38th Grand Prix win, Verstappen has extended his lead over the championship by 14 points.
