Lewis Hamilton recently admitted that beating Sergio Perez to second in the Drivers’ Championship won’t “make a big difference” to his life, with him believing that it’s all down to the Red Bull driver’s performances.
Following Perez’s opening lap retirement last weekend at the Mexican Grand Prix, the 33-year-old has just a 20-point advantage over Hamilton in the fight for second, after the seven-time World Champion finished second and claimed the fastest lap.
Perez’s retirement at his home race occurred as a result of an unfortunate collision with Charles Leclerc, which took place whilst they were fighting for the lead at the opening corner.
There is no doubting that Hamilton shouldn’t even be in the fight for second, given how superior Red Bull are this season.
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It’s Perez’s inconsistent performances which have allowed the Mercedes driver to catch up though, with Checo perhaps feeling fortunate that Hamilton retired on the opening lap of the Qatar Grand Prix and was then disqualified at the United States Grand Prix.
Had neither happened, Hamilton would likely be sitting second in the standings ahead of this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Last weekend in Mexico, Hamilton admitted that it’s currently “swings and roundabouts” between himself and Perez but that it’s ultimately the Mexican driver’s position to lose.
It’s mostly dependent on Checo’s weekends really,” Hamilton said at the recent Mexican GP, as reported by F1i.com. “They have the championship-winning car. He’s just been unfortunate, I think, in some scenarios.
“Obviously I’ve lost quite a lot of points in the last two races but he lost points today. So it’s swings and roundabouts.
“I think coming into the weekend, having lost points last week, I didn’t think I would really be in shooting range particularly but after today, yeah, we’ll just give it our best shot.”
Hamilton went onto admit that finishing second this year doesn’t change anything for him, with his focus being on securing Mercedes second in the Constructors’ Championship.
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Beating Perez is simply viewed as a “bonus” by Hamilton, who is putting the team first.
“Honestly, it’s not going to make a big difference to my life, whether I come second or third,” Hamilton said.
“It’s more important to get the team second in the Constructors and so that’s what I’m focused on. It’s a bonus if we get second in the Drivers.”