Lewis Hamilton has put all the pressure on Sergio Perez to keep hold of second spot in the Drivers’ Championship as the Mexican has the ‘title-winning Red Bull’ at his disposal. Perez looked as though he’d be able to challenge Max Verstappen for the title in the first few races of the season until his performances quickly took a nosedive.
In that time, Hamilton managed to close the gap to his rival with some consistent results over the summer months. He missed out on two huge opportunities over back-to-back weekends in Qatar and Austin to leave Perez with a big advantage heading into his home race.
But the Red Bull driver was forced to retire on the opening lap after causing a collision with Charles Leclerc while Hamilton drove a solid race to finish second. There are 20 points between the two heading into the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend, where Hamilton has enjoyed success throughout his career.
However, Hamilton still believes he’s ultimately powerless if Perez manages to unlock the full power of the Red Bull car. “I think it all depends on Perez’s performance,” said Hamilton.
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“He has the title-winning Red Bull and I think he has been unhappy at times in certain scenarios. Obviously he has lost points in the last two races, but so have I.”
Hamilton may be forgiven for going all out to break his run of two years without a win in F1. That would undoubtedly make for a nervy Toto Wolff in the Mercedes garage with Ferrari still breathing down their necks in the Constructors’ Championship.
However, Hamilton insists he’s ready to play the team game in the final three races over his own goals in a boost for Wolff.
He added: “The odds keep changing constantly. Before the weekend I thought I would no longer be within striking distance of Perez because of my disqualification. Now the world looks completely different again and we will do everything we can to pass him.
“To be honest, I am more focused on second place in the constructors’ championship. That is important for the team. The rest is a bonus.” Ferrari are just 22 points behind Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship heading into the race in Brazil this weekend.
