Max Verstappen has urged Red Bull to "make sure" the cars are reliable in a championship fight with teammate Sergio Perez.
The two-time reigning world champion had to fight back through the field from 15th on the grid in Jeddah after suffering a driveshaft failure in Q2 in qualifying.
Then, having recovered to P2 with a little help from a Safety Car, Verstappen opted not to chase Perez down in the final 10 laps as vibrations triggered concerns of a repeat problem, leaving Max visibly frustrated post-race.
“It’s not only about the pace of the car, we need to make sure that we are reliable without any issues,” he said.
Also Read:
- Mercedes drivers bewildered by Red Bull pace: 'Never seen a car so fast'
- Verstappen denies Red Bull cars built around him despite Albon claim
“I mean, my first weekend was not very clean because of the big balance shift from testing to the race weekend, and some other things which were going on in the background.
“Now again, after three positive practice sessions, I had an issue in qualifying. Of course, I recovered to second, which is good. In general, the whole feeling in the team is everyone is happy.
“But, personally, I’m not happy because I’m not here to be second," Verstapped declared.
"Especially when you are working very hard, also back at the factory to make sure that you arrive here in a good state and making sure that everything is spot on. And then you have to do a recovery race, which I like – I mean, I don’t mind doing it.
“But when you’re fighting for a championship, especially when it looks like it’s just between two cars – we have to make sure that also the two cars are reliable.”
Verstappen also drew the ire of Perez by setting the fastest lap on the final lap to claim the bonus point, though it was of little surprise to his father Jos Verstappen.
“I just knew he was going to do it,” he told Formule1.nl. “Nice is not it? That way he will at least remain leader in the championship."
The former F1 driver was seen stern faced in Parc Ferme as Perez celebrated his win in Jeddah, though later footage did reveal Jos acknowledging the Mexican.
It seems like Jos Verstappen enjoyed that Perez win! pic.twitter.com/hQreo41mF2
— F1 Memes (@f1fans_1) March 19, 2023
Even so, he played down Checo's victory, suggesting the events of the weekend just fell in his favor.
“Of course we all want to win but that was not possible today. The margin was too small for that. I don’t think he [Perez] gets the chance that often. He sees that too and then goes for it," he added.
“It went against us in qualifying. Bad luck, I won’t go into that. We know what it is. But otherwise Max just easily drives to that pole position and then the race is a bit easier."
