The Mercedes embitter the classification of Checo Perez in the Grand Prix of Mexico

Checo Perez is a specialist in coming back in the face of adversity. The driver had to recover in record time from a mechanical and electrical failure in his car to scratch the top of the standings. But it was not enough. The Mexican, pampered by the public of the Hermanos Rodriguez Autodrome, reached fourth place before the unexpected push of the Mercedes. Max Verstappen, an android of triumph, won the pole positionfollowed by George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.

Everything pointed to Perez being able to keep the pole before the brutal performance of the Red Bull and the decline of Ferrari this season. No one thought of the Mercedes. In practice, the British George Russell stood out with his performance above those of the energy drink. It was an alarm signal. Perez could not get past the top three on the track, he was more than three seconds away. From the Red Bull pits there was no room for doubt: Verstappen had to win to break the record of 14 wins in the season. Perez, who kept hoping that the bosses would give him an advantage, had to play it alone.

Checo Perez had a bad first round in qualifying when the rear wing did not open. That led him to drop to tenth partial place, a very negative time. In his second attempt, he climbed to seventh place although the aerodynamic part of the car, the DRS, still did not serve him very well. In the second round, what a fear it aroused. The Mexican was relegated, in 12th place, and he could not find the best opportunity until, with three minutes to go and with new tires, he took the elevator up to third position in a good lap. The pleasure was short-lived after the good laps of Verstappen and Sainz and they left him in fifth place.

The star moment came in Q3. The Mexican fought from the start to stay with a momentary first place while waiting for what Verstappen did. The Mexican squeezed the accelerator pedal, fought against the G-forces and reached him to have a third place. And there the Mercedes of Russell and Hamilton appeared again to separate him from the first three places. A lot of anger for the Mexican.

“I had an electronic problem with the car, I had no reference in the laps, I couldn’t activate the DRS. The balance of the car was complex. I was able to be out of Q2 [la segunda ronda de la clasificacion]. Fourth position is good, the ideal would have been to be within the first three. I hope that tomorrow we will be strong and maximize our performance”, said the Mexican afterwards.

The frenzy for Formula 1 makes drivers uncomfortable

The Hermanos Rodriguez Autodrome throbbed. The roar of the engines was the ambient sound of the Mexico City Grand Prix. Every lap that Checo Perez took in practice and during qualifying, the Foro Sol grandstand area surrendered to him. Love was shared with Verstappen, the two-time champion. It was paradoxical for those who do not usually follow Formula 1 to be stuck in traffic in Mexico City to go see other cars, but they exceed 250 kilometers per hour. “He who learns to drive in Mexico City knows how to drive ANYWHERE,” wrote Mexican driver Pato O’Ward, a McLaren prospect.

During the weekend of the Mexican Grand Prix, the Magdalena Mixhuca area undergoes a metamorphosis in which there are policemen every 100 metres, clean asphalt and an unprecedented order at the access points to the circuit. the army of the Czechsthose fans dressed in Red Bull clothing, filled the stands.

The intensity of the Mexican fans was a matter of concern for the security personnel in the garages. The pilots arrived escorted to prepare the last rehearsals and the classification. The stars of Formula 1, tall and glamorous, could not walk calmly towards their single-seaters because a tidal wave of cell phones and fans were hunting them for an express session of selfie. The excess of the number of fans with a VIP pass worried the F1 teams.

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