Perez back on the podium in Brazil
Sergio Perez hopes that this arrival among the top three in the Sprint at Interlagos will allow him to finish his season on a positive note.
Losing his way since mid-season, Sergio Perez knows that in order to keep his seat at Red Bull in 2024, he needs to prove himself again among the top contenders in the race. While the Mexican was unable to fully showcase his abilities during Friday’s qualifying due to the yellow flag caused by Oscar Piastri, he managed to demonstrate what he was capable of during the Sprint Shootout by qualifying just a few hundredths of a second behind his teammate on worn tires, compared to Verstappen’s new tires.
Perhaps a little cooled off after his failed departure at home in Mexico, Sergio Perez was too cautious when the lights went out in Brazil and was immediately overtaken by both Mercedes. What could have been another slow descent into hell never happened. He was able to regroup and engage in a great duel with Hamilton before overtaking him and then gained 1.6 seconds in two laps to pass Russell. However, this comeback in the early moments of the race forced him to push hard on his tires, which made him powerless in the final sprint.
The start was bad. I lost a position to George and then to Lewis. I had to fight but also continue to preserve my tires. These duels cost me a lot for the rest of the race. But overall, it was a good day because I know that without this bad start, we could have finished much higher. These 6 points are important, but the main goal is to stay on this good momentum for tomorrow’s race.
He finally crossed the checkered flag, where he had started, in third position. His tires, too damaged, prevented him from catching up to Norris. He finished more than 9 seconds behind the McLaren. A much too significant gap in a race of only 24 laps.
Finally, Max Verstappen never had to deploy any strategies to help his teammate. The gap between the two men was far too large to consider them in the same race. If finishing so far behind his teammate hurts, finding the top three is a great reward for Perez, on which he must capitalize for the final Grand Prix of this season that has experienced dizzying highs and abyssal lows.
