Title is for Verstappen, but once again also a bit for Perez
General
- GPblog.com
Max Verstappen has won his second Formula 1 world title in Japan. He also owes this achievement a little bit to teammate Sergio Perez, who played a crucial role in the Dutchman's championship race for the second year in a row.
Defensive work in 2021
In 2021, it was Perez who gave Lewis Hamilton an unprecedented hard time in Abu Dhabi. At the time, Hamilton and Verstappen were equal in points. The Briton was a lot faster than Verstappen, and while the two title contenders were running around on new tyres, Perez deliberately kept going on his older tyres.
Hamilton eventually got to the back of Perez's RB16B, and the Mexican did not let the Mercedes driver pass without a fight. For laps, Perez fought hard to hold off Hamilton. It allowed Verstappen to rejoin and Hamilton's built-up lead completely disappeared. Soon after, Perez's nickname was already ringing through the paddock: 'The Mexican Minister of Defence'.
Ultimately, Perez's action prevented Hamilton from making a pit stop with certainty when the safety car came out because of Nicholas Latifi's crash. Verstappen did make a pit stop and managed to take the world title away from Hamilton with one lap to go.
Perez can also attack
A year later, it was not the Mexican Minister of Defence who came to Verstappen's rescue, but rather 'The Minister of Attack'. Perez on the heels of Charles Leclerc for laps. Eventually, it caused the Ferrari driver to make a mistake in the very last chicane. He cut off the track and was penalised almost immediately. Perez moved up one place as a result and it provided exactly the one point Verstappen needed for his second world title.
Incidentally, it should also be added that Perez already started helping Verstappen last week. When the Mexican was told in Singapore that he might receive a five-second penalty, he stepped it up a gear to grab a big lead. The penalty came, but so did the lead, preventing Leclerc from winning at the street circuit.
Of course, the world titles are behind Verstappen's name, but Sergio Perez did help a little here. Verstappen definitely owes the Mexican some shots of tequila when the party really gets going at the end of the season!