A reckless maneuver in the Austrian Grand Prix bitter Checo Pérez

The moment in which Checo Pérez's Red Bull went off the track in his battle against Lando Norris, this Sunday in Austria.ANDREJ ISAKOVIC / AFP

Checo Pérez does not have the favorite suit. The Mexican had the privileged position of starting third, ahead of the Mercedes. The time to shine, again. A risky strategy by the Red Bull driver to try to pass McLaren's Lando Norris was very expensive. Pérez fell to the middle of the table and racked up two 10-second penalties after a tough confrontation with Charles Leclerc. In the race he finished fifth, but due to penalties he stayed in sixth position, helped by the good pace in the latter part of the race in Austria.

At the start there was a changing of the guard.

The always winners Mercedes behind the two Red Bull Max Verstappen (first) and Checo Pérez (third), in addition to the young talent of McLaren who placed in second position during qualifying.

That did not last long.

In the end the grid ended with Verstappen as the winner, Valtteri Bottas second and Norris third.

More information

• This is how we have told you about the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix

• Checo Pérez touches the podium at the Styrian Grand Prix

Hamilton, who started fourth, squeezed him from the start.

The Mexican had to use all his experience to defend himself and also to try to catch up with Norris.

Nor had the first lap been made when there was a

safety car

due to an incident with Esteban Ocon's Alpine.

The restart of the race was aggressive on the part of the Mexican.

Red Bull fought McLaren in the corners.

Norris resisted and caused the Mexican to go to the gravel.

From the third position it fell to the tenth place.

The Briton paid for the maneuver with a five-second penalty.

Pérez had to fight.

He had to fight now to reach a better position.

The Mexican, who had to complicate things for the Mercedes, now had to compete against the Ferraris and Daniel Ricciardo of McLaren.

Going to the

pits

again cost Checo Pérez a second. The mechanics took three seconds and a week ago four. Despite that, the Mexican was able to return to his dispute against Charles Leclerc. There, with 30 laps to go, Checo Pérez took Leclerc off the track, in a maneuver similar to the one that made him lose places at the start of the race. The commissioners sanctioned the Mexican with five seconds. The war between the Mexican and the Monegasque returned a few laps later when the Red Bull one again closed his way. And he earned his second penalty. Ten seconds of punishment.

Checo Pérez had to do an impressive pace so that the penalties were less.

The Red Bull man put his foot on the accelerator so that despite everything he could stay with that fifth position and, at least, he was able to establish himself as sixth.

The Mexican remains in third position in the Formula 1 Drivers' World Championship with 104 points, but Norris pressures him with 101.

At the Austrian Grand Prix, the Mexican driver completed his 200th career in Formula 1. In Melbourne, Australia, Pérez raced his first Grand Prix.

It was on March 27, 2011 when he made his debut on top of the Sauber car.

At its premiere, the Mexican finished seventh.

Everything suddenly turned sour when he was disqualified because his team violated the regulations.

One hundred and ninety-nine races later came frustration.

Subscribe here

to the

newsletter

of EL PAÍS México and receive all the informative keys of the current situation of this country