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It was recently revealed that Sergio Perez had huge help from his race engineer Hugh Bird during the 2023 F1 Brazilian GP, where he was chasing Fernando Alonso for the last podium finish. Perez was behind Alonso for almost half of the race and was gradually closing the gap, which ended up in a thrilling wheel-to-wheel finish.
According to lastwordonsports.com (LWOS), the team radio between Perez and Bird entails how the latter was helping the Red Bull driver position his car perfectly for a smoother overtake. Bird was constantly explaining where Perez should place his car behind Alonso in turns 10 and 12.
"Try a bit wider at the apex, Turn 12. Wait for traction, get that exit....Follow Fernando’s line, Turn 10 and Turn 12," Bird said.
"No. If I follow his line, I get into the dirty air," Perez replied.
"Focus on the exit of 12. Give up a bit on the entry, focus on the exit," Bird concluded.
In the end, Sergio Perez was wheel-to-wheel with Fernando Alonso as they raced towards the finish line. Even though the Aston Martin driver secured third position, this detailed discussion between Perez and his race engineer was great since both were equally determined to overtake Alonso.
Sergio Perez on his battle with Fernando Alonso at the 2023 F1 Brazilian GP
Despite losing the podium place at the 2023 F1 Brazilian GP, Sergio Perez was delighted to have an intense but fair on-track battle with Fernando Alonso.
Both drivers exchanged podium positions in the second-last and last lap of the race. After the race, Perez gave his views on the battle, saying:
"It was quite an intense battle. We tried everything. Unfortunately, we didn’t succeed on that, but it was well deserved for Fernando. I think we had a great fight, very fair and to the limit. I think this is something that a lot of drivers can learn from because what we did, the way we fought today, it’s how it should be done."
"I’m on the wrong side, I end up losing but it’s fine because it was a great fight. We’ve seen in the last couple of races that the pace has been there, that we’ve been really strong, and for some reason or another we haven’t been able to get the final end result, but I just know that it’s a matter of time," he added.
Sergio Perez scored decent points in Interlagos, which gives him a boost in the drivers' championship table. He now has 258 points in second place, while third-placed Lewis Hamilton has 226 points.
