Helmut Marko has cautioned Red Bull over the "alarming" fact that the chasing Charles Leclerc and Fernando Alonso set similar Formula 1 lap-times to them towards the end of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. It was another crushing display by Red Bull in 2023, easing to a third one-two of the season, with Sergio Perez claiming the win ahead of Max Verstappen to add to his sprint victory on Saturday. It means the championship lead enjoyed by Verstappen is down to just six points, but despite the strong result - Perez finishing nearly 24 seconds clear of third-placed Leclerc, Marko has warned the team.
Marko's alarming spot
"A one-two and a first and third place in the sprint, we are very satisfied with that," he explained to ORF. " Max was unlucky with the Safety Car, and didn't manage to find a good set-up, which cost him a lot of time, so he couldn't get the most out of the car - and keep up with Perez. "A big complaint to Checo, he was fast from the start and made no mistake, it was a [brilliant] race. "But what was alarming for us was that Leclerc as well as Alonso managed to clock the same lap times as us in the last six to eight laps. We had to work hard to make sure nothing happened at the end of the race. "We weren't [telling the drivers to slow down, and manage the car], Sergio did ask if that was possible, but we let them drive flat out."
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