F1 Mexican Grand Prix: Perez or Verstappen for top honours?
27th October 2022Both respective titles have been decided for the Formula 1 2022 season but Red Bull’s pairing, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, will be aiming for top honours in Mexico City.
One record could be broken this weekend, depending on which Red Bull driver secures the race win. Verstappen could secure a record-breaking 14th win in a season while Perez will be aiming for his first home win.
After securing both Drivers and Constructors titles in 2022, Red Bull have the opportunity to top the table with the most wins as an constructor at Mexico City.
Amongst the Cost Cap controversy, Haas lodged a protest after the United States Grand Prix after both Fernando Alonso (Alpine) and Perez were not shown the black-and-orange flag for damaged cars.
Verstappen and Perez’s fight for glory
Last time out, in the United States, Verstappen secured a record-equalling 13th win of the season.
The Dutchman suffered a very poor pit stop, by Red Bull’s standards, and the two-time champion was forced to work his way back to the front, passing both the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc and Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.
With a win on the cards in Mexico, it looks likely the reigning world champion will move to the top of the record books – for most wins within a season – ahead of Michael Schumacher (2004) and Sebastian Vettel (2013).
However, Verstappen will have to contend with his teammate – on the other side of the garage – who will be looking to secure top honours, himself.
Perez became the most successful Mexican racing driver when he secured his third career victory at the Principality of Monaco, earlier this year, beating fellow countryman Pedro Rodriguez (2). The Red Bull driver later added to that tally with another win at Singapore.
With the Drivers and Constructors championships already sealed, it provides the Mexican with a moment where he can battle for the race win without being interfered by his respective pit wall.
However, it has been reported that Perez does not want to be ‘gifted’ a home win by his two-time world champion teammate.
Haas’ Protest
When Red Bull secured the constructors championship, the team’s win was once again overshadowed by a problem with the sport and the FIA. However, it wasn’t entirely to do with the Milton Keynes outfit.
Rather Haas believe they have been treat unfairly by the FIA’s race stewards. Across the 2022 season, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen has received three black-and-orange flags which forces a driver to pit for repairs, on safety grounds – the most recent came at the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix.
However, when Perez’s front wing endplate fell off and Alpine’s Fernando Alonso’s wingmirror detached, the race stewards did nothing.
Feeling as though there is a double standard, Haas protested against both Alpine and Red Bull on the grounds of safety. While the protest against Red Bull fell through, the Alpine protest was upheld which provided Alonso with a 30-second post-race penalty which dropped the Spaniard from seventh to P15, at the end of the race.
The complaint is set to ‘make a point’ to the FIA for their inconsistencies.
A video hearing, between the FIA, Alpine and Haas, has been put in place for Thursday evening at 18:00 local time which puts it at midnight on Friday morning, in the UK.
Red Bull to top Statistics in Mexico?
As it currently stands, five constructors are tied with the highest total of wins to their name since the sport first raced there, in 1963, won by Lotus’ Jim Clark.
The five constructors, Mercedes, Lotus, Williams, McLaren and Red Bull, are all tied at three wins.
Of these three wins, for Red Bull, all of them have been secured by Verstappen. The Dutchman secured his first win in Mexico back in 2017, followed by another a year later. The two-time world champion had to wait another three seasons before he secured his most recent win, during his first championship-winning season (2021).
However, Verstappen and Perez’s chances to secure a momentous moment in F1’s history could be ruined if a Ferrari driver (Carlos Sainz or Charles Leclerc) beat the Red Bull duo to the chequered flag.
While the championship fight might be over, the internal fights – within the constructors standings – are still ongoing. As it stands, Ferrari are in second place in the constructors championship, with 469 points, but they’re being chased down by Mercedes who are on 416 points.
If the Scuderia secure the win in Mexico, they will join the five constructors. At the current moment, Ferrari only have two wins to their name in Mexico City.
That’s it for the article; F1 Mexican Grand Prix: Perez or Verstappen for top honours?
What do you think, will Perez secure his maiden home win or will Verstappen produce a record-breaking performance? Let us know in the comments!
Read more Formula 1 here:
- F1 United States GP: Verstappen wins as Red Bull secures title
- Esteban Ocon set for pit lane start for US Grand Prix
- F1 United States GP: Sainz secures pole ahead of Verstappen
- F1 United States GP: Verstappen clears final practice in Austin
- Logan Sargeant to race for Williams in 2023 pending super licence points
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
