Explained: Why Max Verstappen was slower than Sergio Perez at the 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP

F1 pundit Mark Hughes has explained why Sergio Perez was faster than Max Verstappen in the 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP. The Mexican won yet another race on a street track, solidifying his reputation as "the king of the streets." He was slightly lucky with the safety car, which allowed him to take the lead and maintain it by managing his tires brilliantly.

Speaking on The Race F1 podcast, Hughes explained how Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen were equally matched throughout the race weekend. He added that Verstappen was quicker in the main race qualifying session, while Perez was faster in the Sprint shootout. He said:

"Max wasn't in a very happy place with the car, but that was probably only fully exposed by just how fast Perez is around this place. Had Perez been two or three tenths off like he is at many places last couple of years, then Max would have been dominant despite the issues he was having, and he wouldn't have been so visible.

"There was very little between them in raw pace. All weekend, Max was a tenth or so faster in Friday qualifying, and Perez was a tenth faster in the sprint shootout."

The F1 pundit dove deep into the race between the two Red Bull drivers and how their performance differences came down to tire management and the strategies they employed.

According to him, since Sergio Perez was able to manage his tires better and Max Verstappen was not completely comfortable with the car, the former was able to have a better race. Furthermore, the safety car played a huge role, giving Perez the lead and hampering Verstappen's race.

Hughes said:

"After just four laps, the outcome was already only about Verstappen and Perez. And because there was no significant pace difference between them, it became about tire usage and strategy. Perez wasn't putting the same strain on his tires, and Max wasn't happy with his feeling in the car, particularly the front end."

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Sergio Perez feels he should be leading the championship against Max Verstappen

Sergio Perez believes he would have been leading the championship after the Azerbaijan GP had he not encountered any issues at the Australian GP. The Mexican won the race in Baku by keeping his teammate and reigning world champion, Max Verstappen, behind.

Speaking to Viaplay after the race, he said:

"Definitely, I should be leading the championship if it were not for the problems we had in Melbourne. So we are definitely in the fight for the title."

After the Azerbaijan GP, Sergio Perez is only six points behind Max Verstappen. He is now in a title race against his Red Bull teammate. No other driver from other teams is in this fight simply because of the sheer dominance of Red Bull.