Among the cherry blossoms, Checo Pérez stood on the podium. A second place in Japan that gives him peace of mind and serves as a boost at the start of the season. The Mexican does not forget that this year is critical to demonstrate to the Red Bull leadership that in 2025 there is no better candidate than him to stay on the team. The race, when not, was won by Max Verstappen with a resounding victory on the stopwatch with more than 12 seconds of difference. The one from Guadalajara has his third podium this year and number 38 in his entire career in Formula 1.
During qualifying, Pérez barely beat the robotic Verstappen's time by almost nothing. The difference between the two was only 66 thousandths of a second. That gave a boost of self-esteem to a Mexican who was injured from his participation in Australia, where his performance, a punishment and the car did not favor him as he finished fifth. At the Suzuka circuit, the practices went well for the Mexican, even when he had some problems aboard the car. It all dissipated in the best qualifying round he's had in months.
At the start of the race, midnight in Mexico, Pérez started solidly by remaining second. He could not complete a lap when Daniel Ricciardo, who was raising his hand to take the Mexican's seat in 2025, crashed into the wall along with Alex Albon. In the second start, after the accident, Pérez held his own to protect his second position against Lando Norris, whom he began to gain seconds behind. Those from McLaren devised the strategy of making a undercut in tire changes. At first it worked, but the Mexican's power was stronger to continue the fight for the first three places. The one who gave him a problem in overtaking him was Leclerc, who in two laps could not overtake him despite taking better care of the tires. In the end, on lap 23, the Monegasque lost control of the car and went off the track, which is how the only Latin American in F1 was able to take advantage.
The second tire change also favored the Mexican who was able to once again surpass Norris and Leclerc without problems. The final stretch of the race involved tire maintenance by the Mexican. Christian Horner, team skipper on the track, summed up the Mexican's weekend as “Fantastic.” Absolute fuel for Czech.
In Suzuka, Checo Pérez finished second, his best result on the same day that Verstappen was crowned two-time world champion in 2022. Last year, however, he had to leave the track. The Japanese asphalt suits the Mexican well because in his first race in the country, in 2011, he obtained a creditable eighth place aboard a Sauber. The 2024 season has gone well for the Grupo Carso idol with three second places in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Japan, in addition to fifth place in Melbourne. Pérez still wants to show the world that he has a lot of energy to drive at Red Bull.
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