There Formula 1 will experience its eighth Grand Prix of the 2023 season in Canada this weekend, where once again Max Verstappen emerges as the big favorite, while his teammate, the Mexican Sergio “Checo” Pérezaims to return to the podium after two races of absence.

“We started the season very well, we had bad results in the last two races, but in general we were good and we were competitive, fighting with Max for almost the same tenths,” said ‘Checo’ in an interview with TUDN. hours before starting its activity on Canadian territory.

Pérez remained on the podium in four of the first five races this year, in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan and Miami, his last appearance on the Formula 1 honor roll (with a second place) on the 7 may.

Then the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix due to the flood crisis caused by heavy rains in northern Italy and when the circuit was reactivated in Monaco, the Mexican experienced an unfortunate day that dropped him to sixteenth place. He then sought redemption in Spain, but that was enough for fourth place.

“I know what I need to do to get back into the shape I’m capable of being in and as a team we know how to get the car to the window in which I can drive in the best way (…) Going through times like these, it’s more important to say “We will never work together, so we will support each other to achieve victory for Canada.”

The driver from Guadalajara barely added 12 points in the last two races, contrasting with the 105 points obtained in the first five and which only placed him six points ahead of Max Verstappen in the fight for the world championship; Now, heading to the event in Canada, the margin is 53.

Despite this, “Czech“He maintains second place in the World Drivers’ Championship, even if Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Lewis Hamilton and even George Russell (Mercedes) have already started to close the gap to try to get ahead of him, the Spanish veteran being the further ahead with 99 units, while Hamilton reached 87 after second place in the last Grand Prix.

“We are second, what follows is first, there is a significant difference, but everything changes very quickly. It will be important not to have any more bad weekends and to return to the podiums, to stay there and then we will see what happens,” analyzed the driver from Guadalajara, who is in his third season with Red Bull Racing.

Revenge will not be easy for Pérez, since the Montreal circuit has not earned him many points throughout his career. In 10 participations he only scored 26 points there, although it is also a place with a special memory, since it was there that he achieved his first podium in Formula 1, finishing in third place in 2012.

His latest story is not encouraging either, since in 2022 he could not even finish the race in Canada due to engine anomalies that left him out of competition just after nine laps, in addition to being started on the grid from the complicated position of number 13. .

This time his mind is focused not only on the end of the race, but also on the 31st podium of his career so as not to continue losing distance against Max Verstappen or letting himself be overtaken by Fernando Alonso, even if the Dutchman is motivated that if he wins, he will equal the legendary Ayrton Senna with 41 Formula 1 victories.

The first free practice round will begin on June 16 at 11:30 a.m. in central Mexico and a day later, at 2:00 p.m., it will be the competition that will define the grid for Sunday 18, when the races will take place. 70 laps from 12:00 p.m.

Another driver who will come out inspired this weekend and who will surely make ‘Checo’ Pérez uncomfortable is the British Lewis Hamilton, since with a victory he would become the greatest winner in the history of the Canadian Grand Prix, breaking the tie of seven he holds with Michael Schumacher.

Canada represents the last Formula 1 race in June this year, as the ninth will take place in Austria on July 2, followed by Silverstone (July 9), Hungary (23) and Belgium (30), to make way for four weeks of summer rest before resuming activity on the Dutch circuit on August 27.

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