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Sergio Perez has now secured second place in the Drivers\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019 Championship. The 33-year-old has now proved his doubters wrong in style.<\/p>\n
Click here to join our WhatsApp community to be the first to receive breaking and exclusive F1 news.<\/strong><\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> Verstappen quickly backtracks after Las Vegas GP moans as Leclerc apologises[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n 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\u2019s poor performances and mistakes that were keeping him in the hunt.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, it’s ultimately largely dependent on Checo\u2019s performance moving forward as he should easily have second,\u201d Hamilton had replied when asked about his chances of snatching second place. \u201cI\u2019m really proud of where we are, where I’ve managed to get to, I’ve been really proud of the race performances so far.\u201d<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong>
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Shaquille O\u2019Neal gives priceless three-word reply after awkward Brundle moment[GRID WALK] <\/strong>
Leclerc suffers unusual issue ahead of Las Vegas GP that will harm Verstappen[LECLERC] <\/strong><\/p>\n\n