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Verstappen did not need help from Horner, Perez did

Verstappen did not need help from Horner: 'We wanted to remind Perez'

3 July 2023 at 10:27
Last update 3 July 2023 at 11:11
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  • Kada Sarkozi
  • Editor

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen captured his 42nd career victory in Austria. The Dutchman shared the podium with Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc and teammate Sergio Perez. The Mexican needed some help from the pit wall to get there. Verstappen did not need that help, team boss Christian Horner also saw.

Perez was stuck behind Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard, in an inferior car, managed to hold off the Red Bull driver for a long time. Sainz let Perez creep ahead of him towards turn three, which would give him DRS on the straight to counter the Mexican. After Perez was told from the pit wall that it was smarter to brake earlier so that he would have DRS after the corner, he passed Sainz.

Verstappen is instinctive

Max Verstappen did not need that help from the pit wall, Horner told the post-GP press conference. "We just reminded Checo keep the DRS down at turn 3. I think with Max, he's such an instinctive racer that he was feathering the throttle to get the DRS knowing that he wanted it down to turn 3." The team boss noted that Verstappen did not need any help at all, after all, he had figured out how to do it himself. "He's watching the racing as he's going around as well, so he knows what's going on."