Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has expressed relief that Sergio Pérez has been allowed to re-enter the Japanese Grand Prix to take his penalty, revealing the team’s strategy “is to put teammates first” Max Verstappen.
The Mexican driver then received a new penalty for his collision with Kevin Magnussen at the hairpin, but abandoned the race before serving his penalty.
While Verstappen claimed his 13th win of the 2023 F1 season to secure the constructor’s championship for Red Bull, teammate Perez had another disastrous day.
Pérez was forced to replace his front wing after crashing at the start of Suzuka, before being hit with a five-second penalty for overtaking Fernando Alonso in safety car conditions as he returned to the pits. Red Bull was relieved by Sergio Perez’s penalty error
The Mexican driver then received a new penalty for his collision with Kevin Magnussen at the hairpin, but abandoned the race before serving his penalty.
With F1 rules allowing untaken penalties to be converted into grid losses in the following race, lap 40 saw Perez return to the track almost an hour after retiring for the first time. head to take his five-second penalty. He entered the pits for the last time in the 43rd lap.
It may have been a strange sight, but Marko was delighted that Red Bull successfully converted Perez’s penalty in Japan.
Currently 177 points ahead of Perez in the Drivers’ standings with six rounds remaining, Verstappen can claim his third World Championship with a sixth place in next month’s Qatar sprint race. Marko believes Red Bull can now focus entirely on Verstappen at Losail, telling Sky Germany:
“Thank God we were able to take the penalty here.
“If we don’t take the penalty here, we will have to take it in the next race and our strategy is to give priority to Max. For example, in the case of a safe car, we will send it in a way that leaves Max unobstructed.
After taking a record win for the team and driver in Singapore, Red Bull and Verstappen fought back strongly in Japan, taking pole position by a margin of six-tenths and winning the race by a margin of almost 20. .
Marko was full of praise for the 25-year-old, claiming that Verstappen’s tire management is now on par with 2021 title rival and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
He explained:
“[Verstappen] improved his pace and he continued with ease and drove very well. He has also improved his tire management. He is very fast and can control his tires just like Hamilton did.
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