Sergio Perez proves F1 fans wrong after Lewis Hamilton aimed cheeky dig at him
Sergio Perez has now secured second place in the Drivers’ Championship, ensuring a first-ever one-two finish for Red Bull in the standings and proving the doubters wrong following an extremely testing middle portion of the 2023 season.
The Mexican climbed from 11th on the grid to finish on the podium at the Las Vegas Grand Prix following an impressive drive that was, admittedly, helped by a fortunately-timed safety car. Perez was left kicking himself somewhat at the end though after conceding second place to Charles Leclerc on the final lap of the race.
However, with his nearest rival Lewis Hamilton finishing down in P7, that result proved comfortably enough to confirm second place in the World Championship and shrug off any lingering doubts about his immediate future with Red Bull. Heading into the race in Las Vegas he needed to avoid a six-point swing to seal the deal with one round to spare.
One month ago the story looked very different for Checo. In a survey completed by 8,045 Express Sport readers, 56 per cent tipped Hamilton to beat the Red Bull driver to second place in the Drivers’ Championship. The 33-year-old has now proved his doubters wrong in style.
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Perez will also take some satisfaction after Hamilton claimed that he should have comfortably sealed P2 in the standings ahead of the triple-header in Mexico, Texas and Brazil. The Mercedes driver insinuated that it was only the Red Bull driver’s poor performances and mistakes that were keeping him in the hunt.
“I mean, it’s ultimately largely dependent on Checo’s performance moving forward as he should easily have second,” Hamilton had replied when asked about his chances of snatching second place. “I’m really proud of where we are, where I’ve managed to get to, I’ve been really proud of the race performances so far.”
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This achievement could have been even more significant if it had gone the way of Hamilton. Perez and team principal Christian Horner have tried intensely to bat off rumours claiming that anything less than a top-two finish would see him dropped at the end of the 2023 campaign.
Instead, Perez is heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi with the pressure lifted off his shoulders and some positive momentum after finishing in the top four at each of the last three Grands Prix.
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