In an unfortunate turn of events, Sergio Perez was unable to add any points to his tally at his homeland Grand Prix, as he crashed on the opening lap at the first corner in Mexico.
Max Verstappen, his teammate, stated that it isn’t his duty to assist Sergio Perez in claiming the second position in this year’s drivers’ championship. This would mark the first time Red Bull has a one-two finish in the championship, something the team principal Christian Horner is keen on. Perez currently stands twenty points ahead of Lewis Hamilton, the mercurial Mercedes driver occupying the third position.
“The onus to secure points shouldn’t always be on me,” proclaimed Verstappen.
In the wake of the Mexico City Grand Prix, Christian Horner assured Perez of the team’s complete support in an endeavor that Red Bull has never undertaken before.
Expressing his faith in Perez at the impending Sao Paulo Grand Prix media day, Verstappen stated, “I am confident in Checo’s ability to maintain his lead, given that our car generally performs faster.”
Behind Perez by a mere 13 points, Hamilton has managed to successfully bridge the gap in the previous three Grand Prix’s held in Qatar, USA, and Mexico, even though he crashed out in Qatar and got disqualified from the US Grand Prix.
This scenario evokes a familiar situation from the previous season, stirring the question once again – Can Perez hold on to his second position in the championship?
Interestingly, Perez was also battling for supremacy against Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in 2022. During a tense final lap in Brazil when the Red Bull drivers were in the sixth and seventh positions, Verstappen defied a team order to let Perez overtake him. No public explanations were provided, but it became apparent that Verstappen’s unwillingness to comply stemmed from anger over Perez’s purported deliberate crash in Monaco’s qualifier, which impeded Verstappen’s timing.
Starting third in Monaco, with Verstappen tailing him at fourth, Perez managed to clinch a win post-Ferrari’s strategic missteps with the race leader, Leclerc.
“Last year it wasn’t really well spoken about before we got into the race weekend. Let’s just hope we don’t get into that situation; it is better for everyone,” added Verstappen, cautiously optimistic.
Meanwhile, Mercedes pulled off their sole victory of the past two years in Brazil, with George Russell leading Hamilton to a one-two on an otherwise tepid weekend for Red Bull.
With Mercedes currently leading Ferrari by 22 points and three races remaining, Hamilton, undeterred by his current standings, looks at the long-term picture while aiming to secure second place in the constructors’ championship in the short term. He asserts, “I anticipate Red Bull are going to blitz it but if that’s not the case I will be ready to take the fight to them.”
