Quote:
Originally Posted by Marcoose
The bitching is peculiar. RBR already won both championships by a mile. What the effing else do people want ?
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'Puzzled' about Perez's subpar performance in what most consider to be the best performing F1 car of the moment on the grid, rather than
'bitching' about Perez's performance.
Horner already stated that he also wants a Red Bull 1-2 in the WDC. Gluttony ? Also Wolff was very eager to get a Mercedes 1-2 in the WDC in the Hamilton-Rosberg and Hamilton-Bottas era. Undoubtedly also pride and financial bonuses are part of the equation. As well as expectations for the next season: is current performance forecasting future performance (with the knowledge that also competitors work on improving their cars) ?
Perez was leading Hamilton by 39 points in the WDC when the lights turned green in Mexico. All he had to do: bring home the car, scoring enough points to keep the WDC gap to Hamilton somehow manageable (only 3 races and a Sprint remaining after the Mexico race weekend). A podium finish as goal, ahead of Hamilton if possible, but no absolute requirement. Be smart to get smart results - think long-term.
But we all saw how Perez impatiently torpedoed his chances in Turn 1. No matter the discussions about what happened and who's to be blamed: it's a DNF - zero points and car damage bills to be footed. And this latest hiccup could jeopardize his F1 career future. I guess that Red Bull will let him race in 2024 but will replace him 'Kyvat style' with Ricciardo or Lawson around May 2024 if he fails to perform as planned during the first two months. It will be very stressful for Perez: perform in the Red Bull from the get-go as expected (reaching Q3 during qualies + getting podium finishes during races + no self-inflicted accidents) to avoid getting 'demoted' to AlphaTauri.
Hamilton did a stellar job during the Mexico race by giving his level best: P2 and fastest lap, closing the WDC gap separating #2 and #3 to 20 points. Top marks for Hamilton and Mercedes - well done.
If Verstappen had failed to keep Hamilton behind him at the chequered flag in Mexico, the 39 points WDC gap would have even 'melted' to merely 12 points. Ironically, Verstappen needs to keep winning races, bagging the precious 25 P1 points up for grabs, to 'help' Perez securing #2 WDC. Weird situation of damage control.
Positive takeaways: the fights for #2 WDC and #2 WCC should provide an interesting finale of this season.
If Hamilton manages to get #2 WDC this season, it will be deserved. For months on end Perez ain't performing the way you'd expect from a 2023 #2 WDC. Hamilton is doing a better job (except for his Russell crash at Qatar, his performance is more consistent than the one of Perez). Let's face it: after all the Perez hiccups witnessed this season, does Perez or Hamilton truly deserve the title of 'second best performing F1 driver in the world of 2023' ? In my book, based on performance, Hamilton deserves #2 WDC 2023 more than Perez.
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Christian Horner says Red Bull will need to have both drivers in play in time to come amid concerned about Sergio Perez’s form.
While Red Bull has sealed both the drivers’ and constructors’ championship for the 2023 F1 season, the only goal that remains is a 1-2 finish in the drivers’ standings where Max Verstappen leads currently from teammate Sergio Perez.
But the Mexican’s form and lack of results is hurting him as Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton closes in on to disrupt the party. After the early good run, Perez has just dropped the ball and consistently fighting through to get himself on the podium in most cases."
(source:
https://formularapida.net/horner-say...remain-on-top/)