21 March 2023 , 17:44
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Jos Verstappen did not shy away from taking a swipe at Sergio Perez, after the Mexican beat his son Max to the chequered flag at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Championship leader Verstappen started the race 15th on the grid after a mechanical issue in qualifying. But by the mid-way point of the race he was already up to second – demonstrating the power of the Red Bull RB19 this season.
The Dutchman was also helped by a well-timed safety car period which forced the pack to close up when he was up to fourth place. After that he made light work of George Russell and Fernando Alonso and was soon on the tail of his team-mate.
Perez did well to keep Verstappen at arm's length to win the race, while the defending champion snatched the extra point for fastest lap at the death. Red Bull staff were celebrating jubilantly with Perez after he got out of his car, though there was one man who stood out through his inaction.
While those around him jumped for joy with beaming smiles, Jos Verstappen stood stony-faced and clearly unwilling to join those celebrating Perez's success. And afterwards, he suggested that it was only his son's bad luck which gave the Mexican the opportunity to win.
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As reported by Formule1.nl, he said of his son's fastest lap: "I just knew he was going to do it. Nice, is it not? That way he will at least remain leader in the championship.
"Of course, we all want to win but that was not possible today. The margin was too small for that. I don't think [Perez] gets the chance that often. He sees that too and then goes for it.
Sergio Perez won the Saudi GP from pole position (AFP via Getty Images)"It went against us in qualifying. Bad luck, I won't go into that. We know what it is. But otherwise Max just easily drives to that pole position. And then the race is a bit easier.
"Because we actually already predicted that it is quite difficult to come forward here. This is a track with long turns so it's hard to make a difference there. We need more difficult circuits and more corners."
Speaking of Red Bull's cars, Verstappen Sr added: "It looks like we will be dominant. We have a very good car. If you saw how easily they drove away now too – a second faster. Whether that can be overtaken by the rest this year? I don't know. But it's not like we're standing still either. We are also coming up with updates."