Helmut Marko claims Belgian GP P2 finish behind Max Verstappen ‘is a victory’ for Sergio Perez

Helmut Marko was relieved to see Sergio Perez finish second at the Belgian GP, behind Max Verstappen.

Helmut Marko (image via Auto Motor und Sport), Sergio Perez (image via PlanetF1), Max Verstappen (image via F1 Authentics)

Sergio Perez had a decent result at the Belgian GP. After a streak of struggling performances, the Mexican driver finally finished runner-up behind teammate Max Verstappen. Although, Checo did lose out to the two-time world champion and ended up being over 20 seconds behind by the final lap. Red Bull consultant Dr. Helmut Marko believed this result was nothing short of a win for Perez.

Firstly, Marko praised Verstappen’s stellar drive at the Belgian GP. The Dutch driver started the race in sixth place after receiving a five-place grid penalty. Nevertheless, the sheer pace of the reigning world champion allowed him to quickly makeup places and further take the lead from Sergio Perez. The Red Bull consultant is quoted by GP Blog, “Max’s drive] It was so sovereign. He was really incredibly strong.”

Helmut Marko was happy with the result of Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull. Checo took the race lead on the first lap and managed to gain a sufficient gap to his rivals before being overtaken by Verstappen. The Mexican driver remained calm and managed to bring home a second-place finish. As such, Marko was adamant that it was a triumph for the 33-year-old. He explained, “For Perez, that second place is a victory.”

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Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez celebrating the Belgian GP 1-2 with Red Bull crew (image via The Drive) — Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez celebrating the Belgian GP 1-2 with the Red Bull crew (image via The Drive)

The Milton Keynes-based team has won all twelve season races so far. Max Verstappen has won ten rounds with a remarkable eight-victory streak so far. The two-time world champion looks set to match Sebastian Vettel‘s record of nine wins in a row. While Sergio Perez emerged victorious in two races earlier this year.

Marko claimed that Red Bull is eyeing to potentially win all races this season with only eleven rounds remaining. The 80-year-old admitted that it would not be an easy task, but Milton Keynes is eager to achieve this unprecedented feat. He stated, “We want to continue like this. It might be unrealistic, but we are really starting to believe it can be done.”

We had a great start, the important thing was to make sure we finished the car without damage and to score some good points.
The goal is to stay on the podium for the rest of the year

Tuvimos un gran comienzo, lo importante fue asegurarnos de terminar el auto sin daños y sumar… pic.twitter.com/gnqeST67H3
— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) July 30, 2023

Thus, Helmut Marko was convinced that the Belgian GP P2 finish remained no less than a win for Sergio Perez. The Mexican driver desperately needed a good result after a sting of underwhelming results. Although, there is still a long way to go for Perez before he can truly prove his worth again to Red Bull against the dominant Max Verstappen.

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Tags: Helmut Marko Max Verstappen Sergio Perez

#About the Author

Armaan Agarwal

(2570 Articles Published)

Armaan Agarwal is a Motorsport Sub-editor and Content Manager at Firstsportz. He has written over 2500 articles with around 1000 edited pieces under his belt. Armaan has years of experience in the field of journalism, having followed Formula 1 and NASCAR for almost a decade. Nico Rosberg's title victory at the 2016 Abu Dhabi GP against Lewis Hamilton remains engraved in his memory. He started his journey with his own motorsport blog in 2017. At Firstsportz, Armaan provides deep insight into the sport for fans through his special editorial pieces. Armaan has several other skills, including social media content creation, script writing, and debating. He completed his Bachelors of Arts in Mass Communication with a gold medal from St. Xavier’s University Kolkata. Presently, he is pursuing his Post Graduation in Broadcast Journalism at the India Today Media Institute with a keen eye at the ever-evolving dynamics of a newsroom. Apart from motorsport, he is an avid reader and keeps himself up to date with current affairs.

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