Published By: Ritayan Basu
Last Updated: October 30, 2023, 11:56 IST
F1: Red Bull’s Sergio Perez (AP)
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez collided with Charles Leclerc of Ferrari as he challenged for the lead by drawing alongside him.
Sergio Perez mentioned his first nook crash turned his house Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday into the saddest expertise of his profession.
The Red Bull driver, who loved passionate house help, collided with Charles Leclerc of Ferrari as he challenged for the lead by drawing alongside him and his Red Bull staff-mate world champion Max Verstappen.
But three into two wouldn’t go, he mentioned, after bouncing off right into a run-off space from which he recovered, limped to the pits and retired.
“I’ve had some really sad moments in my career,” he mentioned. “And certainly this is the saddest one because of the end result, but at the end of the day it’s just racing.”
The incident not solely ended Perez’s race, after he made a very good begin from fifth on the grid, but additionally broken Leclerc’s Ferrari, leaving him with a broken entrance wing.
He continued, however he was unable to withstand seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes and completed third behind him as Verstappen sped to a document sixteenth win of the season and 51st of his profession.
Perez was adamant that he needed to take the danger of preventing to win in entrance of his followers in an enormous crowd on the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
“To be honest, I felt that I would have let them down more if I didn’t go for it… I saw the gap and I went for it,” he mentioned. “I decided to take a risk. I knew it was going to be very risky, and I ended up paying the price.”
He added that he would take the identical resolution once more.
The end result did little to quell hypothesis about his future with Red Bull after a dismal run that has seen him with no podium in 5 races for the reason that Italian Grand Prix on September 3.
While Perez flopped once more, Hamilton’s haul of factors enabled him to shut inside 20 factors of their scrap for second place within the drivers’ championship, a goal valued by Red Bull as a result of they’ve by no means had a one-two end within the title race.
Verstappen leads on 491 forward of Perez on 240 with Hamilton on 220.
And one of the drivers most touted as a doable Red Bull substitute for Perez in 2024, Daniel Ricciardo, confirmed his restoration from harm with a damaged hand by ending seventh, having out-certified Perez, in his Alpha Tauri.
“You have days like this,” mentioned Perez. “What makes me feel proud is that I gave it all. And that’s it….”
Team boss Christian Horner was sympathetic afterwards. “He had a rocket-ship launch and so much momentum in the first corner that you can’t blame him for going for it and trying to take the lead at his home race.”
Horner added that it was a second to help Perez and to not criticise.
“He’s got 13 years’ experience in F1 and I think when you’re going through a difficult moment, it’s important to support him. He was having a great weekend until that point.”
He praised Ricciardo for his maturity, expertise and tempo after a race that the returning Australian described as “the weekend I dreamed of – and I got it”.
His success for Alpha Tauri lifted them to eighth stage with Alfa Romeo within the constructors’ championship on 16 factors, leaving Haas 10 th and final on 12.
(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is revealed from a syndicated information company feed – AFP)
