Perez: 'I think Verstappen was angry about that'
F1 News
Sergio Perez started the sprint race of the 2023 Austrian GP so strongly by fighting hard on the first lap against championship leader and teammate Max Verstappen. He did not hold on and was overtaken by Hulkenberg. Still, Perez made it to P2.
Perez did not get by Verstappen after Hulkenberg
After the sprint race and his P2, Red Bull Racing 's Mexican driver explains what happened. Perez: "I think Max was angry that I went into turn 2. I didn't see him there. I had a very bad turn 1 and tried to protect, and once I saw him there I opened up the door and gave the place back at turn 2, and we just spoke about it."
It was a one-two for Red Bull, but it was not easy for Perez. For about half the race, he was stuck behind Nico Hulkenberg's Haas. Once he passed it, he was unable to overtake Verstappen. Perez: "Once I got Nico, it was all about managing the tyres to make sure we went to the end because otherwise it would have been easy to miss out especially when those boxed for slicks."