Reigning Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen says he is not happy with his second-place finish at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix despite making the biggest gain in the race.
The Dutchman started Sunday’s race in 15th place due to a driveshaft failure in qualifying while his teammate Sergio Perez took the pole position.
Verstappen gained 13 places during the race to move up to second within 25 places but was unable to challenge Perez who was untouchable upfront.
Verstappen gained an extra point by claiming the fastest lap and was also voted Driver of the Day but all that was not satisfactory enough for him as reliability issues from qualifying emerged again during the race, and has called on his team to fix the issues.
“I recovered to second which is good and in general the whole feeling in the team is happy,” Verstappen said.
“But personally I am not happy. I am not here to be second, especially when you are working very hard back at the factory to come here in a good state and making sure everything is spot on.
“When you are fighting for a championship and it looks like it is just between two cars you have to make sure the two cars are reliable. We have to do better, absolutely – a cleaner weekend would be nice.
“We are allowed to race so the best man will finish in front.”
UPDATED STANDINGS
Aston Martin and Mercedes draw level in the team standings after our points re-shuffle ????#SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/BoAmBrH4aX
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 19, 2023
Verstappen holds a one-point lead over Perez in the Drivers’ Championship standing, while Red Bull’s back-to-back one-two finishes give them a 49-point lead over Aston Martin and Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship.
