Debate | 'With things going his way, Sergio Perez will be champion in 2023'

It's starting to be quite a list. Less than five Grands Prix have been held and Max Verstappen has already had to endure some bad luck; a technical problem in Saudi Arabia that left him stuck in Q2, the unfortunate timing of the safety car in Baku and now the red flag during qualifying in Miami. Who benefited each time? Sergio Perez. It begs the proposition: 'With things currently going his way, Sergio Perez will be champion in 2023.'

All year long, Max Verstappen has been the best driver on the grid. Largely due to bad luck, this has not been fully reflected in the results so far. In Miami too, Verstappen looked to be on his way to an easy pole, as fast as he had shown in previous sessions. Indeed, the slip on his first attempt in Q3 was entirely down to himself. That he was subsequently unable to set a time was partly Red Bull's fault, Helmut Marko already admitted. But had Leclerc not shot off the track, Verstappen would probably have put his car on the front row of the grid.

Hamilton-Rosberg version 2?

Sergio Perez will be fine with it all. In Mexico, the thought is that he put Verstappen under such pressure that he sometimes succumbs. Another will call it luck. Perez really has no complaints about that. It is even a little reminiscent of the period Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at Mercedes on. The former is far more talented than Rosberg. But the Briton was so unlucky at the start of the season in 2016 that the resulting championship deficit could not be made up.

To become champion, you also need some luck, it is often said. Could that apply to Perez this year? Is this the year he manages to capture the world title as a result? Let us know in the comments!