Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport around the world and has been widely followed in recent years even in countries that do not have the facilities to roll out red carpets for racing; India Being one of those countries and this author is one of those followers. This column is my attempt to connect with other new fans of the game and share with them my journey of discovering this fast, furious, and yes, sometimes frustrating, game.
Prince Louis and Sergio Perez. No, this is not a grand example of the principle of six degrees of separation. I mention the adorable British royal and most successful Mexican driver in Formula 1 in a single sentence, as much of the world rooted for him in the past few days. And it has been heartening to watch as the two are brutally boxed into the incredible role of ‘Parts’.
Of the four, Prince Louis turned the meme engine on his great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations by bringing to life the most-used emoji on WhatsApp. Less than a thousand miles away in the Principality of Monaco, Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez popped champagne (after what seems like a wild party) at the top of the podium after winning a recent rain-hit Grand Prix.
But the position of four-year-old Louis Arthur Charles in the line of succession is non-negotiable and he may even come to enjoy the duty-free trappings of royal life (just ask Uncle Harry), 32-year-old Sergio Michel “Checo” Perez. Mendoza did not enter formula 1 to be extra
The pecking order is clear in the royal families and is evident in Formula 1. Each team has two drivers and one of them is not as good as the other at any point, making him an ‘extra’ to the ‘heir’. Race strategies are preferred in favor of the ‘lead driver’, often at the expense of the other. Drama and emotions are unpleasant for everyone, except maybe the people here drive to survive,
But sometimes, ‘extra’ makes a break for it. That is exactly what Perez set out to do in Spain and enthusiastically accomplished in Monaco. His resounding victory announced that he was as much in the race for the title as the reigning world champion and Red Bull’s golden-eyed boy. Max Verstappenand Ferrari’s next-in-line-champion Charles Leclerc, only 15 points and six points apart, respectively.
Last year it was a different story when F1 Lewis Hamilton v. was about Max Verstappen, No heroism of his respective comrades Valtteri Bottas or Sergio Pérez could replace him. And while Bottas managed to garner some glory for himself, Perez understood his work.
Perez was to be Robin to Verstappen’s Batman, a role Daniel Ricciardo did not say at the end of 2018. The Australian still strongly defends his decision to move to Renault despite finding himself in a similar situation at McLaren. From Ricciardo to Pierre Gasly to Alex Albon, Red Bull failed to find the right driver for that second-place finish to aid Max Verstappen in its mission to become the youngest F1 world champion ever.
Enter Perez in 2021. It was a bit sluggish start but that all changed Baku Verstappen was forced to retire when Perez stepped down after a puncture. Resuming after a red flag, Perez made a stellar performance to secure his first win for Red Bull and his second since starting his F1 career in 2011. The drive in Baku and the delicious wheel-to-wheel action against Hamilton at the Turkish GP convinced Christian Horner & Co that Perez could support Verstappen’s championship bid. And boy, were they proved right in Abu Dhabi!
Perez stopped Hamilton to watch Verstappen behind a checkered flag in one of F1’s most dramatic, controversial and tense moments. The “Legend” is what the newly crowned champion called his teammate on the team radio, genuine gratitude heard over joy in the sheer chaos of the moment. Verstappen really owes much of his 2021 title to Perez, and has admitted so many times, to be fair to the Dutchman.
And now Perez wants his pound of meat. Because the ‘Mexican Defense Minister’ is really great for social media, but from Checo Sauber to McLaren to Force India/Racing Point to Red Bull, don’t just end up as the world champion’s wingman. He has fans to answer, especially back home in Mexico, and carries the weight of expectations that are always overwhelming for a non-white driver; And more so if he’s from a non-white country.
Perez has a chance to bust another myth in motorsport, that paying drivers are “ineligible”. Even though many world champions such as Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher started out as pay drivers, the term still has some hush-hush taboo attached to it. Perez’s Mexican sponsorship currently brings in 20 million euros to Red Bull’s coffers.
Officially, Red Bull has backed Perez for the crown. “He is as much in the championship as Max is,” said team boss Christian Horner after the Monaco GP. But forgive fans for doubting after the Mexican was asked to step aside for Verstappen at the Spanish GP two weeks ago.
Red Bull is putting team orders on Checo #spanishgp #wtf1 pic.twitter.com/C9AfcERAic
— Ben Greenall (@benGreenall) 22 May 2022
“It’s Really Inappropriate, But Okay” #spanishgp pic.twitter.com/awOGNW2ESN
— F1 Reaction Pictures (@FormulaReaction) 22 May 2022
Perez would have been the championship leader, if not for the team order in Spain, pain!
– Don’t yell at me! (@gbenhur) 29 May 2022
Unpopular opinion: It was too early for Red Bull to implement team orders and ask Perez to move Max to Barcelona. #teamorder
(If Checo had won in Spain with a Max 2, he would have been 1 point behind instead of 15!) #perez pic.twitter.com/3MISmhnvrc
— Michael Cronje (@mnpcronje) 31 May 2022
Christian Horner says Sergio Perez is in a title fight in 2022.
Had it not been for RBR’s team orders, Perez would have had two back-to-back wins in 2022!
He replaced Verstappen in Spain last Sunday.#F1 #inF1 #MonacoGP #Redbull Racing
— kunal shah (@kunalshah) 29 May 2022
A disgruntled but dutiful Perez delivered with “it’s really unfair, but okay”. His post-race warning to Red Bull – “I’m happy for the team, but we need to speak up later” – was enough to suggest that he would no longer play second fiddle for Verstappen.
Red Bull says it was the right call to ask Perez to make way for Verstappen after the Dutchman fell in P4.
“From a team perspective Max had the advantage of having tires like this, with temperature fluctuations, with intermittent DRS it doesn’t make sense to take that risk. So it was absolutely the right thing to do,” Horner told Sky F1.
But given Verstappen’s DRS crisis at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, couldn’t the team rely on Perez to defend their position? Horner had the answer. “DRS was working intermittently. So it worked one lap, not the next.”
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko thinks Verstappen won’t be too upset about a rival title bid from Perez because the defending champion is “usually faster”.
“You forget one thing. Verstappen has already missed the finish twice this year. He finished second both times. Had he managed to get those 18 points, his distance from Perez would have been more This doesn’t change the fact that Checo is having a great season, but still, when it comes to pace, Max is usually the faster of the two,” the Austrian was quoted as saying this week by Formel1.de Was said.
But the question is not whether Perez can beat Verstappen on speed. It is whether he will be allowed. “They won Monaco, didn’t they?” Introduced Marco on Formel1.de.
But Mexicans can’t always count on Carlos Sainz (or George Russell or Lando Norris if you will) to split the two Red Bulls or make another bad pit call for Ferrari to Leclerc’s dismay. There’s Another In A Series Of ‘What Ifs’ – What If It Was Leclerc And Sainz Hadn’t Separated The Two Red Bulls? Wouldn’t Red Bull have recycled team orders from Spain for Monaco?
Red Bull can claim it backs Perez as much as Verstappen, but with an asterisk on his first championship after the Abu Dhabi safety car drama and a rivalry with Leclerc that goes back to his karting days, the Dutchman Team strategy and loyalty will be found for the first time.
A man who is already furious at Red Bull for favoring Perez in Monaco shares his name with the defending champions. Jos VerstappenJoe retired in 2003 after 107 races, insisting that the team compromised his son Max’s points.
“Max was not helped by the chosen strategy. It completely turned in Checo’s favor. It was disappointing for me, and I would have preferred it to be different for the championship leader,” he wrote in a blog post on Max’s official website.
“I think 10 points have been thrown from Max here. Especially with two retirements, we need every point. Don’t forget that Ferrari currently has a better car, especially in qualifying.”
Driver friction isn’t new for Red Bull and it hasn’t reached that level yet, but the team certainly wouldn’t want to deal with a repeat of Mark Webber vs. Sebastian Vettel. For Perez, it is to Nico Rosberg’s 2016 championship win that he should see the Mercedes driver win nine of 21 races, beating team darling Lewis Hamilton.
As the Mexican returns to Baku, his favorite hunting ground, which is “unfinished business” for Verstappen, every race here will test his appetite for the title. After signing up by the end of 2024, does he oblige or resist? More importantly, will Red Bull follow through?
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