The Miami GP was full of surprises for Red Bull. Despite looking promising of scoring a race win, multiple in-session issues led to their second defeat this season. Max Verstappen was unable to clinch the victory as Lando Norris achieved his maiden win. Sergio Perez drove well and managed a P4 finish after Carlos Sainz ‘s penalty. The Mexican driver however avoided a major crash at the turn 1 of the race during the beginning.
Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko has voiced his opinions on Sergio Perez‘s performance at the Miami GP. The Mexican driver almost crashed into Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz just after the race began on turn 1. Hence, Marko recalled that he was scared during the potential incident on the track. The 80-year-old was reminded of the Mexican GP in 2023 where the 34-year-old crashed out on Turn 1 due to a silly error.
When Pérez almost caused a crash in the first corner after the start, I thought to myself: ‘For God's sake!’ It reminded me of Mexico, where Checo also did a manoeuvre like that in the first corner. Helmut Marko said, as reported by speedweek.com.
Marko took a breath of relief as the potentially dangerous crash was avoided at the race start. The entire situation would have been like the historic battle of ‘Waterloo’ if Perez had taken out Verstappen on pole. Additionally, Charles Leclerc‘s mediocre race start was also the reason behind the avoidance of the accident. Hence, the 34-year-old went on to defend well in the race and score a P5 finish in the end. Carlos Sainz’s after-race penalty promoted the Mexican to P4 afterward.
Thank God it turned out well, because it would obviously have been Waterloo if he'd taken Max out. The fact that Leclerc didn't have a good start led Checo to make this move. Helmut Marko noted.
Helmut Marko claims Sergio Perez’s ‘deficit’ at the Miami GP was ‘bearable’ for Red Bull
Max Verstappen couldn’t score the race win due to damage to his chassis. Additionally, Perez didn’t finish on the podium. Hence, Marko reckoned that Checo had a great race overall. Also the 80-year-old highlighted that the ‘deficit’ in points was bearable. Helmut Marko added that the Mexican was ‘lucky’ as Sainz faced a time penalty and fell down the pecking order.
Overall, however, Checo had a good race and his deficit was bearable. And he was also lucky that Carlos Sainz picked up a time penalty, so he moved up to fourth place, which is where he started from. Helmut Marko mentioned.
Apart from this, Perez had good defense during the race as he finished in the top 5. Lando Norris was driving extraordinarily well and hence was able to overtake the 34-year-old. Regardless, Marko figured it was ‘impressive’ how Checo defended against Norris for some time. Red Bull must have faced some issues during the race which led to them missing out on the win.
It was impressive how he kept Norris behind him in the much faster car. Helmut Marko concluded.
Red Bull has already lost out on two races since the 2024 season’s beginning. Hence, the Austrian constructor would have to keep up with the development of the chassis. The rival teams have been closing in ever since the beginning. As a result, the competition could come close towards the end of the 2024 season.
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