Checo Pérez’s Forgettable Afternoon at the Mexican Grand Prix
Checo Pérez’s Forgettable Afternoon at the Mexican Grand Prix 2023, as he experienced one of his worst days in Formula 1 by retiring in the very first corner.
In an aggressive start, Checo Pérez couldn’t avoid Charles Leclerc, who was positioned between the two Red Bulls, resulting in a collision that ended his race.
After the start, the Mexican driver from Red Bull, along with his teammate Max Verstappen, aggressively attacked the Ferraris, who had secured the top two positions on the grid after Saturday’s qualifying.
But in his effort to secure a better position at the Mexican Grand Prix, Checo Pérez attacked, and then the worst happened.
Towards the end of the main straight at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Verstappen had almost overtaken Leclerc on the right, and Pérez on the left. However, Checo Pérez’s car made contact with Leclerc’s tires, causing an impact that sent the Mexican’s car airborne and off the circuit, right at turn 1.
“Being on the podium was no longer enough for me, which is why I went for the top spot,” Checo Pérez said in his statements after the incident that forced him to retire.
In that action, Checo Pérez put his runner-up position in the championship at risk because Lewis Hamilton would gain valuable points that could be crucial at the end of the season.
This is the second retirement for Checo Pérez at the Mexican Grand Prix. The first occurred in the 2018 edition when he had to retire from the race due to a brake problem with his Force India.
Checo had finished in third place in the last two years at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, something he had aimed to repeat in today’s race.
It was also the second retirement of the Guadalajara-born driver in the 2023 Formula 1 season, following his retirement in the Japanese Grand Prix last month.
Also read: Checo Pérez’s motivation in the Mexican Grand Prix.
Checo Pérez’s Forgettable Afternoon at the Mexican Grand Prix
After Checo Pérez’s retirement at the Mexican Grand Prix, the race experienced some incidents, and even a red flag.
On the other hand, Fernando Alonso retired in the pits after a very challenging weekend for the Spanish driver in the Mexican Grand Prix.
The biggest threat was Lewis Hamilton, who moved into second place, posing a greater threat to Checo Pérez’s pursuit of the runner-up position.
Finally, Verstappen won without any issues, and Lewis Hamilton finished in second place.
Here’s how the 2023 F1 championship stands after the Mexican Grand Prix: Max Verstappen is the champion with 491 points, followed by the Mexican Sergio “Checo” Pérez in second place with 240 points, and Lewis Hamilton is in third with 220 points.
In the team standings, Red Bull is the champion with 731 points, followed by Mercedes with 371 points, and Ferrari with 349 points.
