The Mexico City GP did not go as per the expectations for Sergio Perez, as the Red Bull driver found himself out of his home race right on lap 1. While many may question Perez’s decision to make aggressive moves early in the race, in a recent interview with Krone Zeitung, Helmut Marko revealed that Perez does not regret his decision.
Starting from P5 on the grid, Perez had managed to get a good start from the grid, and by the time he reached turn 1, he was already alongside Leclerc and Verstappen, fighting for P1. Perez tried to send his car around the outside, only to make contact with Leclerc, and ended up damaging his car beyond recovery.
“I wanted to win my home race more than anything.” 🗣️
It was home heartbreak for Checo on Sunday, but he’s determined to bounce back in Brazil 👊
More from Perez 👇#F1 #MexicoGPhttps://t.co/vLgtOpPlZz
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 1, 2023
Perez had to retire from the race in front of a disappointed home crowd. While the Mexican fans had turned hostile against Leclerc, the Red Bull driver himself claimed that it was nothing more than a racing incident. However, the former Racing Point driver was quite visibly distraught and emotional following his premature retirement.
In an interview with Krone Zeitung, Helmut Marko was asked about the incident in Mexico, where he revealed, “I spoke to him and he said that there were a lot of emotions involved and that he had to try it because otherwise he wouldn’t be a real Mexican.”
Sergio Perez has his sight set on P2 in the championship
Marko also revealed that Perez has managed to put the incident behind him and is all set for the next race. As per the official F1 website, Perez himself agreed that the Mexico City GP was indeed quite devastating for him.
However, Perez also showed his resilience and commented that these things are quite normal in sports, and one cannot afford to sulk over them. He explained that his main aim right now is to secure P2 in the championship standings, and he is putting his full focus towards that.
En 1 minuto con 23 segundos Lewis Hamilton explicó a la perfección lo qué pasa con Checo Pérez en Red Bull.
Caso cerrado…pic.twitter.com/Dh9M0RMeni
— Rafa Torres (@Patottas) October 28, 2023
Perez has been quite disappointing as of late, bringing in a meager 21 points over the last five races, while Hamilton has managed to score 56 points over the same time period. As of now, Hamilton is just 20 points shy of P2 with three race weekends to go.
Still, Perez does seem more confident than ever about his ability to hold on to P2. The 33-year-old explained that he feels extremely comfortable in the RB19 now and is ready to make sure that he brings home some decent points at the Sao Paulo GP weekend.
