Max Verstappen frustrated to finish second in Jeddah, despite starting the race from 15th; Christian Horner says winner Sergio Pérez enjoyed his best F1 career; watch the Australian Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 between March 31 and April 2
A frustrated Max Verstappen said he was “not happy” to finish second as he and Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez have been given permission to race each other at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Pérez won from pole position in Jeddah with Verstappen one place further back having started 15th due to a driveshaft failure in qualifying.
Reigning world champion Verstappen, whose drive for victory was helped by the deployment of a safety car, said: “I recovered to second position which is good and overall all the feeling in the team. is happy”.
“But personally I’m not happy. I’m not here to be second, especially when you’re working so hard at the factory to get here in good shape and make sure everything is in order.”
“When you’re fighting for a championship and it seems like it’s just between two cars [Verstappen and Perez] you have to make both cars reliable. We absolutely have to do better: a cleaner weekend would be nice.
“We’re allowed to run, so the best man will finish in front.”
Rosberg: Verstappen mentality ‘not good to see’
Nico Rosberg, world champion with Mercedes in 2016, told sky sports F1 that Verstappen could have been “more “funny”.
Rosberg said: “It’s not good to see him. We were also told that he skipped the team meeting. [on Saturday] apparently.
“I don’t think it’s a good approach or mentality so early in the season when the team has done such a brilliant job and worked so hard. I think I could be kinder.”
Perez declared himself “ready to fight” for the world championship after his victory in Saudi Arabia, saying “that’s the only reason I’m coming here.”
Red Bull boss Christian Horner hailed the Mexican’s success as the best in the sport.
Horner said: “I think that was the best Czech Grand Prix, the best race ever, the pace management, the restart. We have a great car and two great drivers.
“We spoke at the briefing [before the race] saying, ‘you’re free to compete, but keep it clean’. Both are competitive. We saw two drivers jostling each other.”
New for 2023: ride on board with any driver
Viewers of Sky Sports F1 can experience live racing from inside their favorite driver’s car thanks to an impressive new innovation for the 2023 season.
Sky customers with a Sky Sports F1 subscription only need to download the Sky Sports App and log in to ride with Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc or any driver of your choice.
In addition to the 20-driver in-flight broadcasts, viewers will also be able to experience Sky Sports’ ‘Battle Channel’, a split-screen offering that focuses on a battle between up to three cars.
If you prefer to get on board via your TV screen, the service will also be available via Sky Q and Sky Glass.
This is in addition to the Race Control streams that have been available in previous seasons, including multi-screen, time screen, driver tracker, and on-board mixing.
Watch the Australian Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 between March 31 and April 2. Get Sky Sports
