Checo Pérez before the start of the Mexican Grand Prix, this Sunday, at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez.José Méndez (EFE)
Checo Perez needed a robot start. Have the throttle and clutch ready and look for the best way to climb from fifth position to the first three places. At first, everything had gone well. The first five seconds were dreamy as he paired up with Leclerc and Verstappen. It seemed that the plan opened up the possibility of taking the lead on a circuit where it is difficult to overtake. The Mexican was on the left, but had no space. He became desperate, obfuscated and crashed just in the first corner. Early finish. "I would try again, I just dream of winning at home," he said after the race.
Mexicans fear the worst. His favorite driver, 33, was aiming to catch second place in the drivers' championship. He had four races left to try in an irregular season aboard the best car of the season. The Red Bull, tailor-made for Verstappen, has been unruly for Perez since crashing at the Monaco Grand Prix. His irregularity sowed doubts for the Austrian team before the end of the Mexican's contract. The validity is until the end of 2024, however, in the face of the instability of the Latin American, the candidates to replace him are multiplying. At the start of the season it was Daniel Ricciardo. Right now, the hopefuls are hovering like shadows.
"I had a really good start. I didn't think Leclerc was going to brake so late and I didn't expect him to be there," said the Mexican after the race. "I think if I had thought about the championship today I wouldn't have taken the risk. Today I was only thinking about winning in Mexico and when I had the opportunity I risked it, maybe too much," he admitted to the media. As soon as the Mexican left the race, frustration invaded the entire Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez. A lot of silence. Verstappen, a three-time champion, could only enjoy himself. Behind him came Hamilton, who is beginning to crush the Mexican's aspirations to take the runner-up position. In third place came Leclerc, who survived the impact.
The moment of the impact between the cars of Leclerc and Checo Pérez, this Sunday. Fernando Llano (AP)
"It was a racing incident. One of those things that happens. [Checo Perez] had a good start and had a good momentum there heading into the first corner, but three at a time in the first corner doesn't work," Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said. "It was unfortunate and very disappointing to lose Checo at the first corner," he remarked. Perez has São Paulo, Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi left to fight. The Mexican's top judge during his time at Red Bull, Helmut Marko, was moderate in his opinion: "It was a racing accident. He had to go for it from the position he started. He has to finish ahead of Hamilton to save his runner-up spot." There is only 20 points difference between the two.
The Mexican fiesta had a salty taste this Sunday. The country was hoping to see its rider on the podium for the third year in a row. "Today I left everything on the track, saw the space and took a risk. It wasn't Charles' fault," Perez wrote. "It didn't work out for me, but we gave everything to get that win. See you next year and we'll try again," he said in a message on his social networks. The Jalisco native has two victories (Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan), four second places (Bahrain, Miami, Belgium and Italy), as well as two third places (Austria and Hungary). The serious thing is his two retirements in Japan and now in Mexico City. The worst position he obtained was in Monaco with sixteenth place. In three races he must do what has kept him in Formula 13 for 1 years: be reborn at the worst time.
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