The 25-year-old world champion, whose triumph in Texas final Sunday secured the constructors’ world title for Red Bull 24 hours after the demise of group founder and co-owner Dieter Mateschitz, is bidding for an unprecedented 14th win of the season.
MEXICO CITY – Max Verstappen can be searching for a party-pooping record this weekend when he aims to beat Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez in entrance of his passionate house followers on the Mexican Grand Prix.
The 25-year-old world champion, whose triumph in Texas final Sunday secured the constructors’ world title for Red Bull 24 hours after the demise of group founder and co-owner Dieter Mateschitz, is bidding for an unprecedented 14th win of the season.
He at present shares the mark of 13 successes in a yr with two Germans, seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, however is aware of one other victory, particularly at Perez’s expense, may wreck a well-known fiesta.
The well-liked Mexican, who has received twice for Red Bull this season – on the streets of Monaco and Singapore – would relish a 3rd, and his long-awaited first on house turf, however accepts it won’t be simple.
He mentioned he is aware of that Verstappen ought to and can race to win even when the competition is a useless rubber in phrases of the 2 essential championships for Red Bull, whose personal celebrations could also be muted when the punishment for his or her 2021 over-spend is lastly introduced.
“I don’t want to be given anything,” he mentioned. “I have achieved everything without gifts for so many years now and, in the end, I don’t think about it.
“It’s my job. I take into consideration that and wish to be good this weekend and search for victory.”
He dismissed suggestions that Verstappen might repay him for his role in holding up Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi last year, when Verstappen claimed his controversial first world title on the last lap.
“In the top, I feel it’s simply regular. We all need to win,” said Perez.
“If there’s a scenario the place it is completely different, that there’s a completely different sort of assist, I’ve little doubt that he’ll do it simply as I’ve performed with him in the previous.”
Verstappen, in sumptuous form, indicated that for him, it is another race to win.
“Well, he is aware of what he has to do to end second – he has to end forward of Charles (Leclerc),” he said.
“As a group, we at all times attempt to be first and second and, as a driver, I need to win extra races.”
BATTLE FOR SECOND
Personal and national pride aside, Perez is also fighting to finish runner-up to Verstappen in the drivers’ championship.
He is third, two points behind Ferrari’s Leclerc, ahead of Sunday’s sizzling prospect at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez where he finished third in a tense finish behind Verstappen and Hamilton last year.
The circuit, at an altitude of 2,240 metres, invariably delivers thrilling and memorable races, the thin air challenging the cooling demands of the cars’ engines and brakes and impacting power output and downforce levels.
Mercedes, showing signs of closing the gap behind Red Bull, may introduce and race a new front wing design that caused a stir last weekend and led to an “change” of views with the stewards.
Trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin explained that the team had insufficient parts for two cars in Austin.
“We have extra of these components obtainable in Mexico,” he said. “So, we’ll run it on Friday, verify it is all working as anticipated and the plan at this stage is to race that wing.”
The Silver Arrows, de-throned as champions by Red Bull after eight successive titles, hope to make a robust finish to the season.
Hamilton is at present winless in a marketing campaign for the primary time as he seeks to prolong his record complete of 103 victories.
After Mexico, he has two extra alternatives in Brazil and Abu Dhabi, the place the season ends subsequent month, however a 3rd triumph in Mexico, the place Verstappen has received thrice, could be satisfying – if not well-liked with the locals.
