How Sergio Perez can steal march on angsty Max Verstappen at Miami Grand Prix
Comment: Red Bull were again in a league of their own in Azerbaijan but it was Perez who took maximum points – his mastery of the streets makes the next race in Miami pivotal for his title hopes
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Your support makes all the difference.Beaming in the aftermath of a perfect weekend in Azerbaijan, Sergio Perez could not help but be reflective. Despite two wins from two – with Sunday’s impressive drive to first following victory in the Saturday sprint – and a mammoth 33 points from one race weekend, the so-called king of the streets is still six short of team-mate Max Verstappen in the Formula 1 world championship.
Rueful memories from a month ago in Australia loom large. A qualifying session from hell: stone cold last on the grid. A recovery drive to fifth was respectable. But in a season where Red Bull are in a league of their own, imperfect weekends can be few and far between.
Ultimately, at 33 years of age, Perez knows he will never have a better opportunity to claim a shock world title than this year. So often the bridesmaid amid Verstappen’s dominance in the last two years, there is no acceptance to acquiesce this time around.
“Having three kids at home, I wouldn’t be traveling the world if I didn’t believe I could be a world champion,” the Mexican said, post-win in Baku.
“I’m working towards that. It’s important to deliver on the track and without the issues we had in qualifying in Melbourne, we should be leading the championship.”
Note the juxtaposition here. When he says “we”, he does not mean Red Bull. Not this time. His days of being the perfect team-mate are over. This time, he means his garage. His mechanics. His people.
All of which points to a conundrum for Christian Horner. Much like Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber over a decade ago, the fight for the Drivers’ Championship will be between his drivers. A conflict of interest is likely to rear its head quicker than anticipated.
Since 2018 – and arguably even earlier – Verstappen has been Red Bull’s No 1. Daniel Ricciardo took note and left. Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon were no match for the Dutchman and were ditched, both in somewhat brutal fashion.
Perez stepping in at late notice made him the de facto No 2. He knew it, everybody knew it. His work in the unforgettable 2021 season in aiding Verstappen, most memorably in Abu Dhabi when defending from Lewis Hamilton, made him a hero to the masses and among his team.
But as Red Bull have stormed ahead of the field in this new ground-effect era, Perez has started to appreciate the uniqueness of his situation. By means of a utterly dominant car, he is Verstappen’s primary contender for the title.
You may have noticed, but Verstappen is far from satisfied at the moment. In fact, he is quite vexed. Changes to the sprint format – an aspect of Formula 1 he strongly dislikes – have irritated him. His angry reaction to a collision with George Russell on Saturday spoke of a driver whose blood is boiling. Even rumblings focused on his long-term dedication to the sport point to a man out-of-tow with a sport thriving in interest and popularity.
All of this is why Perez must take advantage now. Perez has won five grands prix at Red Bull: all five have come on street-circuits. The tight, twisty nature of pop-up tracks suit his driving style, much more so than Verstappen’s hell-for-leather attitude, which comes with less risk on traditional racetracks with extra room and run-off area.
So a return to the streets of Miami, circling around the Hard Rock Stadium, are pivotal for Perez’s championship hopes. After next Sunday there are just two street circuits – Monaco and Montreal – before the summer break in August. By contrast there are six traditional racetracks, where Verstappen will feel all the more at home than his team-mate.
As 1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill stated over the weekend, Perez simply needs to hang on in there this season. He doesn’t need to win every race; he won’t win every race. But a race retirement here and there would be curtains. Take it the other way too: if Verstappen’s damaged sidepod in the Saturday sprint forced a DNF, the pair would currently be level on points in the championship.
Despite leading the standings and being the heavy favourite to make it three titles in a row, Verstappen is making headlines right now for the wrong reasons. Angsty and hypersensitive off-track, he is not on his ultimate A-game right now. Perez must tot up maximum points before the return of the traditional European swing if he is real about being a title contender deep into the season.
King of the streets? Prove it. It starts with a trip to Florida this weekend.
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