Monaco, rain, drama. Checo Pérez took victory at the Monegasque Grand Prix, which was affected by showers and an accident at the track owned by Mick Schumacher de Haas. The Mexican, who conceded victory to Max Verstappen last week, capitalized on a fatal Ferrari decision that saw them lose the lead. This time there were no team orders. Pérez adds the third win of his career after Sakhir 2020 and Baku 2021, while also maintaining his brilliant pace throughout the season
Die-hard Formula 1 fans and all their analysts consider the Monaco circuit to be the best of the whole season. Cars drive through streets that are as winding as they are opulent. Overtaking is almost impossible. Sergio Pérez fought for eleven years to get on the podium there. In 2016, driving for Force India, he finished third. Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo completed the podium.
This year Pérez put on the turbo for Monaco. In the free tests he looked solid and had a good rhythm. The standings were going well until the Mexican lost control and crashed into the wall in the third qualifying session. Luckily he was in 3rd place. The rain prevented the start of the race. After an hour of rain and tension, the cars started with the safety car in front.
Cars were overly cautious. Once the track dried, teams had to wait for the right moment to change tires. The Mexican swapped the heavy rain tires for the intermediates on lap 17, which cost him a few positions. But it was a delayed-action strategy. The Ferraris needed a few more laps to make the switch and that’s where the Italian team made a serious mistake, calling their two drivers into the pits and compromising the lead. Pérez, who was already in the lead, extended the gap, allowing him to change tires again.
The Mexican had to switch to resistance mode. Behind him was Sainz. The coincidence came when Schumacher spun like a top on lap 27 and hit the crash barriers. The session had to be run under the safety car’s low speed again, but the red flag was shown on lap 30.
Restarting the race was a tough test for the Mexican Red Bull driver, who had to deal with his problems on track and the insistence of a stubborn Carlos Sainz who wanted to take the lead in 30 minutes at all costs, a measure , which he did before Schumacher’s accident ordered the FIA to shorten the race. The timer ticked off and the tension didn’t let up. Between Verstappen and Leclerc, third and fourth, they had another fight. Checo Pérez, the boy who smiled in the go-karts in Guadalajara, has risen to the top in Monaco. And now he can fight for the World Championship, something Red Bull has reserved only for Verstappen.
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