For the second consecutive week, Perez accomplished exactly what Red Bull required of him, which was to secure second place behind his teammate, Max Verstappen.
Although Charles Leclerc outperformed Perez in qualifying, the latter wasted no time in rectifying the situation and swiftly overtook the Ferrari driver early on in the race.
The only concern for Perez was a penalty of five seconds for an unsafe release in the pitlane, but he managed to establish a significant lead over Leclerc, neutralizing the penalty.
Reflecting on his performance in Red Bull’s post-race briefing, Perez stated, “Unfortunately, the early safety car significantly affected our race. I lost valuable time when dealing with Lando and Lewis in traffic, approximately seven to eight seconds.”
He continued, “We needed to navigate through that situation more efficiently in order to challenge for the win. Aside from that, it was a strong drive and performance. I truly believe we have made the progress I was aiming for this weekend, bringing us closer to our desired position.”
The deployment of the Safety Car occurred after Lance Stroll of Aston Martin crashed his AMR24 at Turn 22. Although this put Perez at a disadvantage, requiring him to pit early, there was no way he could have posed a threat to Verstappen for the victory. Verstappen was operating at a superior level, leading the race and expertly managing the pace.
Perez acknowledged Verstappen’s exceptional performance, stating, “Max is driving at an incredibly high level, and I believe he is the only driver who has fully capitalized on qualifying and the race so far this season. It’s fantastic because I have the ultimate challenge in him. I must continue to improve with each passing weekend.”
Additionally, Perez expressed caution regarding Ferrari, predicting that they will present a stronger challenge at upcoming circuits. He cautioned, “The Ferrari has the speed, and I anticipate that there will be tracks where they will be much closer to us. They perhaps didn’t fully maximize their potential today, whereas we did. Now, my sole focus is on Melbourne and building upon our achievements here in Jeddah,” concluded the Red Bull driver.
BACK-TO-BACK 1-2 FINISHES!! 🏆🏆 @SChecoPerez secures second place!#F1 || #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/qMBaiLTUNf
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) March 9, 2024