#Perez concedes Verstappen’s Miami GP victory was ‘well-deserved’ after finishing runner-up

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Perez concedes Verstappens Miami GP victory was well-deserved after finishing runner-up

Sergio Perez took pole position for the 2023 Miami Grand Prix but fell to second behind Red Bull team mate Max Verstappen, who made a stunning recovery from P9, and the Mexican driver admitted that the reigning champion earned his win. Perez qualified first on the grid while Verstappen ended up ninth after Charles Leclerc’s spin cut Q3 short on Saturday. The #11 driver led Fernando Alonso away off the line on medium tyres while Verstappen made steady progress from ninth to the front on hard tyres. READ MORE: Verstappen overhauls Perez for Miami GP victory as Red Bull intra-team battle steps up a gear When Perez pitted for hard compounds, he lost the lead to Verstappen, regaining it later on when Verstappen swapped for new medium tyres – but he couldn’t hold off the two-time champion for long. “Yeah, I mean I tried – I gave it all,” said Perez. “I think the first stint was really poor with the graining that we had on that initial pace. And that compromised quite a lot of our race. We didn’t have too much of a difference on tyre, and Max was particularly strong today, so a well-deserved win for him. This feature is currently not available because you need to provide consent to functional cookies. Please update your cookie preferences 2023 Miami Grand Prix: Verstappen battles past team mate Perez to take the lead "We had a bit of a fight on track which was quite clean – to the limit but clean – but putting the team in front of us," he reiterated. "Again, a great team result but today Max deserved the victory because he was the strongest car out there." Perez added that his stint on medium tyres early in the race wasn’t ideal, adding that he would have to “analyse” why he couldn’t build a lead in his first stint before switching to hard compounds. HIGHLIGHTS: Watch as Verstappen eclipses team mate Perez to win Miami Grand Prix He added: “I think the medium initially was really poor. Worse than expected. I think that really compromised our pace, and in all honesty, I think Max also had tremendous pace on the hard tyre, and I think I’ve got to analyse what went wrong today because we simply didn’t have the pace… and hopefully be [back] to our normal pace in Imola. “You cannot afford a bad weekend, so a bad weekend needs to be a P2,” he added. Verstappen leads the championship by a slim 14 points heading to Imola while Red Bull hold a sizeable 122-point lead in the constructors’ standings after another impressive one-two finish. via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

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Gasly and Ocon pleased to see Alpine bounce back in Miami after nightmare Melbourne and Baku weekends

Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon expressed their satisfaction as Alpine recovered from two challenging race weekends in Australia and Azerbaijan to log a double points finish in the Miami Grand Prix. The two Frenchmen retired after crashing into each other during the late restart at Albert Park and neither were able to score on the visit to the Baku City Circuit last time out, putting the pressure on for the race in South Florida. READ MORE: Verstappen overhauls Perez for Miami GP victory as Red Bull intra-team battle steps up a gear But on a much smoother weekend at the Miami International Autodrome, the pair came home eighth and ninth, with Gasly a few seconds ahead of his team mate, as Alpine proved to be fifth-quickest behind Red Bull, Aston Martin, Mercedes and Ferrari. “I will say there was clearly some positives,” said Gasly, as he assessed his race. “I took a great start, managed to be fourth for the start of the race, for a few laps. I pushed really hard trying to keep up with Carlos [Sainz] and Fernando [Alonso], but we just lacked a bit of pace.” Alpine made a much-needed return to the points in Miami Gasly added, however, that he felt more was possible in Sunday’s race. “I was running in P6 until a few laps to the end and unfortunately we had to do quite a lot of fuel-saving in the last 10 to 15 laps. Charles [Leclerc] and Lewis [Hamilton] came back pretty quickly and passed me four laps to the end, [so I’m] a bit gutted. “But I think there are still a lot of positives. We still managed to fight one Ferrari and one Mercedes until the end of the race, [so] it clearly shows we made a step forward. [We’ve] got to keep pushing, [but we] managed to bounce back and score double points for the team, so we will build from there.” READ MORE: ‘It’s very satisfying’ – Verstappen highlights the factor that ‘made the difference’ during his mega Miami comeback As for Ocon, he was similarly pleased to mark a return to the points after crossing the line just under two-and-a-half seconds behind team mate Gasly. “I think it’s been good to finish with both cars in the points today,” he said. “I’m pleased to bounce back from a tough weekend last weekend and [had] some good fights out there – some good lunges on Valtteri [Bottas], some good fights with Carlos [Sainz], back and forward, he passed me I passed him, but he finished in front. This feature is currently not available because you need to provide consent to functional cookies. Please update your cookie preferences Race Highlights: 2023 Miami Grand Prix “Unfortunately, we had an aggressive strategy that we knew was a little bit slower, but there could have been more rewards, but it didn’t pay for us today. So, quite costly that [P8 in] qualifying from yesterday. We knew that we could have probably finished sixth or seventh today, but it’s [a matter of] time before it comes.” Alpine sit sixth in the constructors’ standings after the first five rounds of the season – their haul in Miami bringing them level on 14 points with McLaren, who they narrowly beat to P4 last season. READ MORE: Perez concedes Verstappen’s Miami GP victory was ‘well-deserved’ after finishing runner-up via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

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FACTS AND STATS: Verstappen on a roll in the States as he ties the Red Bull wins record

The Miami Grand Prix saw a thrilling climax, as Max Verstappen chased down his team mate for a famous win from ninth on the grid. With Fernando Alonso once again finding himself with the two Red Bull drivers on the rostrum, it was a popular podium with the huge crowds. Here are the best facts and stats from a very busy race in Miami… Red Bull finished 1-2 on Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley’s 56th birthday. Red Bull’s fourth 1-2 finish of the year is only one short of their record in a full season, set in 2022. Verstappen has now won from eight different grid positions since the start of 2022. The Dutchman is the first race winner from ninth on the grid since Niki Lauda at Dijon in 1984. Only five drivers have won from that position in F1 history. READ MORE: Perez concedes Verstappen’s Miami GP victory was ‘well-deserved’ after finishing runner-up Verstappen has tied Sebastian Vettel’s record of 38 wins for Red Bull. This was also Verstappen’s 24th consecutive finish since Melbourne 2022, the longest of anyone on the grid. It was Verstappen’s fourth consecutive win on US soil, having won the last two races in Austin, and last year’s inaugural Miami Grand Prix. Perez’s P2 was his best ever finish on his home continent of North America. Russell finished fourth, to match his best result of the season Fernando Alonso was third, his fourth podium finish in five races. The Spaniard has now scored more podium finishes this season than in his previous seven seasons of F1 combined. George Russell was fourth, which ties his best result of the season. Carlos Sainz is the highest driver in the championship without a podium this year. READ MORE: 'We are very, very far away' – Sainz and Leclerc exasperated by ‘incredibly difficult’ Ferrari SF-23 Lewis Hamilton came home sixth, to match his result from Baku. He gained seven places from his starting position. He also finished sixth at this race last season. Charles Leclerc was seventh, the same position as in Jeddah. He finished in the same position he started. Tsunoda returned to P11, a position he has occupied a fair amount recently Pierre Gasly was eighth, to score points in the US for the first time in his career. That also matches Alpine’s best result of the season – Esteban Ocon having finished eighth in Jeddah. Kevin Magnussen was P10 for the second time this year. Yuki Tsunoda finished 11th, the fourth time in six races he has finished just outside the points. In the other two, he has finished P10. There were no yellow flags, no Safety Cars and no retirements in the Miami Grand Prix. This was the 14th retirement-free F1 race in history, with 10 of those coming from 2015 onwards. HIGHLIGHTS: Watch as Verstappen eclipses team mate Perez to win Miami Grand Prix via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com