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The gap between the two hovered around five seconds for the majority of the final stages and there was little management for the majority of that period. Perez undoubtedly benefited from Verstappen's low starting position, which was caused by a driveshaft issue, but he deserves credit for keeping pace with the reigning world champion once he arrived on the scene. He nabbed pole position Saturday before fending off Fernando Alonso and his teammate, who finished second after starting 15th.
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It was a masterclass drive from Perez, who's no stranger to ruling street circuits like Jeddah. Dan Istitene - Formula 1 / Formula 1 / Getty Checo makes statement, Verstappen respondsĪfter securing the fifth victory of his career and first of the season, it's becoming clear that barring any unexpected leaps from others around the grid, Sergio Perez will be Max Verstappen's biggest legitimate title rival. We continue the 2023 schedule with the Saudi Arabian GP. Following each race weekend this year, theScore's editors will offer their takeaways.
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