After the surprising events of qualifying on Saturday, Sergio Perez will sit comfortably in pole position for the Miami GP. Currently only 6 points behind Max Verstappen in the WDC, Perez finally stands a chance to dethrone his teammate.
This moment has been a long time coming. Ever since Checo was signed by Red Bull in 2021, people placed their bets on when he’d be the next driver to leave the second seat. However, Perez overcame the Red Bull second driver curse and proved himself to be a worthy candidate for the champion.
But that was impossible in Verstappen’s shadow. Forced to selflessly boost his teammate for two seasons, we see a new Sergio Perez in 2023. Unabashedly prepared to take on the golden boy, Perez has finally made it.
Referring to the intra-team battle for the title, Perez thought about his potential lead. “No, I’m enjoying it. I’m just thinking race by race. I will go out… for my team because they’ve done a tremendous job and see what happens tomorrow.”
Verstappen will be way behind Perez in P9, owing to some bad luck in Q3. However, despite Perez’s undeniable prowess, it’s impossible to write Verstappen off. Not only is he prioritized by the team, but also he has time and again proven himself to be the man who isn’t afraid to back down from a fight.
Unfazed, Verstappen knows that 18 races await him after Miami. “It’s not a great day, but the championship isn’t won tomorrow. I’ve been in this position before, you have sometimes a few setbacks but that doesn’t mean that it carries on for the rest of the year or whatever”
Fans rally for Sergio Perez to defeat Max Verstappen
And so, we have two camps. Even when Mercedes saw the battle between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, albeit similar, Hamilton had been the clear favorite. But now, it’s fair game at Red Bull. There are the Checo fans, which comprise genuine fans and people willing to see Verstappen step down from his pedestal. And then we have the hard-core Orange Army who are relentlessly cheering on for their driver.
But for now, the cheers from the former group have been growing louder. “Perez Championship Charge” was soon an emotion shared by many.
https://twitter.com/albonscar/status/1654954185618497538?s=20
There were two types of Verstappen fans- the ones sure of their driver, and the others worried about what it all means.
https://twitter.com/MV1Le0n/status/1654956073042821120?s=20
Some were also skeptical of Red Bull getting in Checo’s way. A possibility for sure, no one can guarantee fair play in F1.
Regardless, in what was quickly becoming a boring season, Sergio Perez has come to the rescue. Fans are finally excited again.
Fans are ready for this new narrative. In fact, get the popcorn ready, we’ve seen what such situations do to teams, like Hamilton-Rosberg; now, it’s Red Bull’s rite of passage.
