Sergio Perez says he was able to match Max Verstappen’s pace when his teammate emerged as a threat for victory in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Verstappen started from 15th place and was climbing through the field into the top four when a Safety Car allowed him to make a pit stop and retain position. At the time, Perez had held a comfortable lead after passing Fernando Alonso and was some 20s clear of Verstappen, but the Red Bulls were running one-two from the halfway point, with the Mexican able to keep the gap above 4s for the rest of the race.
“It was going well. When I overtook Fernando I thought I could do my race,” Perez said. “But then the Safety Car again wanted to take the victory away from me in Jeddah, but not this time! We managed to get a good distance with Max; we kept a healthy lead and that went well.
“I’m proud of getting the victory. We know how strong Max is in the races and we’ve been matching him in Bahrain, we matched him here, so we have to keep working really hard. I think my team is doing a great job. We managed to get a good read on the high fuel, so I’m proud of my team today.”
Verstappen posted the fastest lap right at the end after the race was called off between the two drivers, but Perez says he wasn’t aware he could try and secure the extra point himself.
