And Yet Another Podium for Checo in Miami
The recent F1 Grand Prix Street Circuit race in Baku won’t receive a position in the history books. Aside from the newly established sprint format, Max Verstappen telling George Russell to f*ck off, and the final lap near-miss catastrophe, the Grand Prix Street Circuit news didn’t have much to run home about.
However, while a history-defining moment was absent, one driver is becoming a legend in his own right. And that man is an F1 street circuit phenomenon who won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku and is the pride of Mexican racing.
He is… Sergio Perez! Nobody can challenge his record on F1 street circuits. Or can they?
There’s only one man with more street circuit victories, Perez’s Red Bull teammate and the highly acclaimed F1 champion, Max Verstappen.
Formula 1 finally saw a repeat winner in Baku as Sergio Pérez continued his street circuit reign at the #AzerbaijanGP
🎥 @F1 pic.twitter.com/PnvXb8lyi0
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 30, 2023
Perez’ Street Circuit Successes to Date
Before evaluating Perez’s Street Circuit success thus far, you already know this man is a top G in the streets by simply looking at his record.
- Baku [2021]
- Monaco [2022]
- Singapore [2022]
- Saudi Arabia [2023]
- Baku [2023]
Sergio’s elite-level tire management is crucial to his street circuit success. No other driver in F1 history has owned the notoriety for preserving tire life on rear-limited circuits for one-stop strategies.
Before the know-it-alls pop up, we know Verstappen owns more first-place finishes on street circuits and will regularly headline the F1 news for being Red Bull’s front runner. But Perez has been relentless and untouchable regarding street circuit podium finishes. It’s now 5 out of 7 podiums for Perez in Baku alone, as he became the first multi-time winner of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last weekend. Furthermore, all five of Sergio’s first-place wins under the Red Bull banner have been on street circuits.
Of course, Red Bull won’t be celebrating a Sergio Perez title win with street circuits alone, but winning these types of races is an incredible challenge. Unlike your typical F1 racetrack, street circuits present narrow lanes, sharper turns, and unforgiving barriers that leave zero room for error.
Sergio Perez when it’s time for street circuits pic.twitter.com/l7S9E8WYEN
— Baji (@Baji_Kei) April 30, 2023
Red Bull on Top & The Future of Street Circuits
As Red Bull will undoubtedly be under added duress while they manage the top two men in the F1 Drivers’ Standings, they’re dominating the Constructors Standings’ after winning all four races so far this year, so we won’t be hearing any complaints from them.
Not forgetting this past weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, yet another street circuit where Perez impressed with pole position and made the podium in second – this man is unstoppable in the streets; I’m surprised he hasn’t featured in an episode of Power. And yes, you guessed it, Verstappen was the only driver with the talent to stop the Mexican in Miami, further adding to Red Bulls’ superiority this season.
Red Bull has been DOMINATING this season.
🇧🇭: Verstappen P1, Perez P2
🇸🇦: Perez P1, Verstappen P2
🇦🇺: Verstappen P1, Perez P5
🇦🇿: Perez P1, Verstappen P2
🇺🇸: Verstappen P1, Perez P2 pic.twitter.com/Gpw0GdQ2VY— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) May 7, 2023
For Perez, we can guarantee this won’t be the last time we see him involved with street circuit F1 rumors. He’ll also have more eyes on him than ever with the huge American market receiving an added street race to the F1 calendar – Las Vegas GP – and it should give fans hope he can make this year’s title chase an interesting one with Monaco, Singapore, and Vegas street circuits remaining.
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