--- title: "Sergio Perez Holds Off Verstappen, Alonso to Win F1 Saudi Arabia GP" description: "Red Bull's Sergio Perez took an early lead in the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabia GP and fought off Max Verstappen to keep it." date: "2023-03-19" modified: "2023-03-19" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/sergio-perez-holds-off-verstappen-alonso-to-win-f1-saudi-arabia-gp" categories: - "F1" - "News" - "Racing" --- # Sergio Perez Holds Off Verstappen, Alonso to Win F1 Saudi Arabia GP ![]() *Photo | Getty Images* For the first time in what seems like forever, Red Bull's Max Verstappen didn't win a[ Formula 1 ]()grand prix. Instead, his teammate did. Sergio Perez, who started in pole position, was quickly overtaken by Aston Martin's[ Fernando Alonso]() but then quickly retook the lead and never let it go. Perez went on to win the Saudi Arabi GP after fighting off a tenacious Alonso and hard-charging Verstappen. Verstappen, who seems to start from pole position in every race, actually started from 15th on the grid due to a mechanical failure during qualifying. The last driver to win a GP from 15th was ironically Fernando Alonso back in 2008, so things weren't looking great for the Dutchman early on. However, some expert driving, along with a car that seems like it's in a different league than the rest, allowed Verstappen to slowly slice through the traffic and reach the podium in second place. Alonso and Aston Martin have been a true delight over the past two races, giving us a break from the typical Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari dominance. The veteran driver was able to expertly keep himself in second place for the vast majority of the race. While his Aston Martin could never quite catch Perez in his almost unfair looking [Red Bull](), he kept pulling away from whoever was behind him, to keep himself firmly locked in second. Toward the end, though, Verstappen's astonishing car and impressive driving saw him finally overtake Alonso to snag silver. ![]() **Fernando Alonso lost his third place finish due to a ten second penalty | Photo | Getty Images** Alonso initially rounded out the podium, finishing third, which was still impressive for both himself and Aston Martin. However, Alonso suffered a five second penalty for an improper starting position. Then, because Alonso failed to serve that five second penalty correctly in the pits, it turned into a 10 second penalty, which was enough to take his third place finish from him and hand it to Mercedes' George Russell. For the most part, it was an uneventful race, with Red Bull's dominance on display once again. At times during Verstappen's climb up the position ladder, his car looked like it had 200 more horsepower than the others. Barring some unforeseen mechanical issues from Red Bull, the rest of the season shouldn't play out much differently. Hopefully, Alonso and Aston Martin can continue to shake things up and keep it interesting. *Got tips? Send 'em to tips*@robthedrive ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()