F1 Brazilian Grand Prix: Perez Feels Confident for Interlagos Race as Hamilton Pushes for P2 in Championship

Sergio Perez has labelled his retirement from his home race at the Mexico City Grand Prix disaster – while vowing to fight back at this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix. At this weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix, he plans to make a good comeback, and he's confident he can do it. A first-turn accident with Charles Leclerc's Ferrari forced Perez to retire from last weekend's race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in front of his dejected home fans. The incident led to a stunning launch of Perez's Red Bull RB19 into the air.

Although Max Verstappen scored more than twice as many points as anyone else in the championship with the same RB19, Perez only holds a 20-point lead over Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers' Championship. He once had a sizable lead over the Mercedes driver, but recent races have been disappointing.

Multiple rumours have circulated over Red Bull driver Perez's future, but the team's upper management is committed to him keeping the seat for the 2024 season, the final year of his contract with the Milton Keynes-based outfit. One theory about Perez's future is the team's attempt to achieve a 1-2 finish in the Drivers' Championship for the first time in their history, a feat that, given Verstappen's great form, should have been quite simple to accomplish.

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F1: Sergio Perez's Comments

Sergio Perez: “Mexico was devastating for me. But in this sport these things happen, and you can’t afford to keep going over what could have been. I wanted to win my home race more than anything but that is gone now and my full focus is on finishing second in the championship. We need to have a great weekend in Brazil and I feel confident in our ability to get results right now. It felt like things were coming together last weekend with the direction we are taking.”

Perez further added, "I am more comfortable in the car,” said Perez. “The work the team and I have put in together is paying off in terms of set-up and performance. Brazil is a totally different challenge to Mexico but it’s always a fun track, and we have two opportunities to score points this weekend. So, while Sprint weekends are a challenge on set-up, we want to maximise this chance all we can.”

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F1: Can Hamilton Finish P2 in Championship

Mercedes has a great chance to win the 2023 season's first race at this weekend's Interlagos event in Brazil after taking the win there in 2022 when Red Bull had difficulties.

Lewis Hamilton finished second at the Circuit of the Americas, but he was disqualified because of excessive wear on the plank attached to the underside of his car. The next week, he finished second in Mexico without any of the problems that troubled him in Austin. With three races remaining in the 2023 season, it's likely that Hamilton will finish in second place in the Championship.

For Hamilton, Interlagos will always be the location where his boyhood hero Ayrton Senna raced. In addition, he has always received a warm welcome from locals and an honorary citizenship from the country.