Mexican media believe again: 'Perez can lead F1 championship'

Sergio Perez is performing well so far in the new Formula 1 season. The Mexican Red Bull Racing driver himself may remain modest about his World Cup chances compared to Max Verstappen, but the media in his home country continue to believe fully in Checo's chances.

Mexican media continue to believe in Perez's World Cup chances

Prior to the Japanese Grand Prix, the Mexican press dreamt of a scenario in which Perez would take over the championship lead from Verstappen. That opportunity presented itself due to the Dutchman's crash in the Australian GP, which brought the top three in the standings closer together.

To take the championship lead, Perez would have had to win the F1 race at Suzuka. Although Mexican Esto acknowledged that Verstappen is the man to beat, hopes remain to see a Mexican driver in the lead of the World Championship for the first time since Pedro Rodríguez de la Vega in 1967.

'Perez missed opportunity, allowing Verstappen to run away'

The dream scenario did not materialise. Perez left Japan with a fine second place in his pocket, but was unable to challenge Verstappen for the win. According to Esto, this was due to a moment that occurred after the restart, with Verstappen and Perez again starting from the front row of the grid. Perez got away better at the restart than at the initial start of the race.

"The three-time champion led with some ease. Checo followed closely behind him and even had a chance to battle his teammate using DRS, but one corner before it was activated, he lost control of the RB20 and went off the track, although he eventually managed to get the car under control. This action caused Verstappen to walk away by as much as four seconds," the Mexican medium said.

Perez himself has made no explicit statements so far in the new F1 season about his hopes of winning the world title this year. This is in contrast to last year, when, after two wins early in the season, he fully believed he could beat his teammate. However, this was followed by a series of disappointing results for the Mexican, who is performing fine for now in 2024.