By Sergio Silva
Sergio “Checo” Pérez He was left off the podium for the second time in this 2024 Formula 1 season after finishing in fifth position in the Miami Grand Prix, a result that leaves a bittersweet taste for the Mexican driver of the Red Bull team.
On the one hand, the man from Guadalajara recognized that in This Sunday’s race that the British McLaren driver, Lando Norris, ended up winningdid not have the necessary rhythm to fight for the first positions, but also considered that they did a good job throughout this weekend.
“I think we had a good weekend, we were always in the fight, in qualifying, in the sprint race, we were always close. But I think today we didn’t have enough pace to pass.”commented the Mexican from Red Bull who had already finished fifth this season in Australia.
Sergio “Checo” Pérez He acknowledged that he was close to having impacted his teammate, the Dutchman Max Verstappen, who ended up coming in second place in the race, surpassing the Ferrari driver, Charles Leclerc, who completed the podium at the Miami International Autodrome.
“It was a good start. Charles (Leclerc) pushed me at the beginning and then he opened the space for me and I got inside, but I didn’t have any grip. As soon as I braked I knew there was no grip and, at one point, it almost took me to Max (Verstappen).”commented the one from Guadalajara to Fox Sports México.
Sergio “Checo” Pérez, who started from fourth place, tried to decipher the reason why the race in Miami became so complicated where the weather factor ended up playing an important role as the Mexican had warned in the days before the sixth race of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
“When we were behind all the traffic the tires would overheat. I think that was the main cause of our complicated career here in Miami. Then we tried to go with another tire trying to be much more aggressive, but we degraded very quickly.”analyzed the Mexican.
Finally, “Checo” Pérez acknowledged that there were problems with the RB20 that they were unable to overcome, which influenced their result. “We had a balance problem that we couldn’t correct in the first part of the race”commented before adding: “McLaren, without a doubt, was stronger than us”.
With this result, plus third place in Saturday’s sprint, Sergio “Checo” Pérez completed a good weekend that allows him to remain in second place in the drivers’ standings in this 2024 season behind his teammate Max Verstappen and ahead of Charles Leclerc.
Keep reading:
– Sergio “Checo” Pérez finished third in the sprint of the Miami Grand Prix, a test that the Dutchman Max Verstsappen dominated from start to finish
– “Checo” Pérez acknowledges that his renewal with the Red Bull team for next season “is not a priority right now”
– Stays? Max Verstappen calms the waters at Red Bull amid rumors about the possibility of his departure from the Austrian team