I was under the impression that the aero braking greatly reduces the amount of fuel required to land on mars vs the moon, and due to this the Saturn V had enoug

I was under the impression that the aero braking greatly reduces the amount of fuel required to land on mars vs the moon, and due to this the Saturn V had enough lift to put a crew on mars. If Apollo-era hardware can get to mars, why rendezvous at the moon?