Checo Perez loses ground in the Italian Grand Prix

On the mythical asphalt of Monza there was no feat of Checo Perez. The 32-year-old pilot added another somewhat gray race to the list in which the inconveniences separated him from the podium. He finished sixth, with the consolation of taking the fastest lap, while Verstappen won, followed by Charles Leclerc and George Russell. The result separates the Mexican from second place against Ferrari and the British Mercedes who already puts pressure on him.

It was time to come back. It has been difficult for Perez to adapt to the changes that his car has undergone. In qualifying he finished fourth, but a penalty for exchanging his engine for a newer one saw him start thirteenth. The start in Italy was a severe setback for the Mexican who fell two places, without the possibility of attacking. He also had to see in the mirrors how Sainz’s Ferrari surpassed him, who started from 18th place on the track.

Little by little, the Mexican began to rise in the classification. Verstappen put the turbo to get out of the mess and fight for the lead. On lap eight, the engineers asked Checo Perez to change tires. At the time of leaving the pits, the front tire on the right smoked, as if it were on fire. That incident weighed down the career of the Mexican who left last.

On lap 19, some cars began to change tires and that favored the performance of the Mexican who still wanted to show his teeth against his rivals. It got to the point where he got behind Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso on lap 32. The Spaniard had to retire, much to the Mexican’s delight that he had to look after his tires. But it was short-lived. Sainz, with a better pace and new tyres, overtook him very easily. Perez needed to take care of the tires as much as possible until, with 13 laps to go, he had to take a breather and strap on new tires, the fastest possible, to try to climb positions. What he did get was the fastest lap of the race before Daniel Ricciardo’s stalled car caused a safety car in the last laps. The fastest cars in the world had to finish the race with the accelerator pedal reserved.

Thus, Checo Perez achieved 210 points that places him in third position in the World Cup. In front of him are Verstappen (335 units) and Leclerc (219). Russell is only seven points behind the Mexican. In the constructors’ championship, Red Bull is still on top.

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