Lewis Hamilton has jokingly warned Sergio Perez that he’s “coming” for him this weekend at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, to try and take the fight for second in the Drivers’ Championship to Abu Dhabi.
Unless something truly unexpected happens, Perez will likely seal second in the standings this weekend, given that he boasts a 32-point advantage over Hamilton with just 52 points up for grabs.
To snatch P2 from the Red Bull driver, Hamilton will likely need a victory in either Las Vegas or Abu Dhabi, as well as another high-point scoring finish.
Even if he manages this, Perez just needs two good results to complete Red Bull’s first ever 1-2 in the Drivers’ Championship.
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Many had tipped Hamilton to overcome his deficit to the Mexican driver and claim second spot; however, his P8 at the Brazilian Grand Prix has massively reduced his chances.
Red Bull will likely be strong in Abu Dhabi given that Max Verstappen was victorious there last year, meaning that Hamilton needs Perez to struggle this weekend.
What the pecking order will be when action gets underway in Sin City is relatively unknown, as it’s an entirely new circuit.
The cold weather will also be a key factor, as generating tyre heat will be extremely challenging.
If Perez is to slip up before the season concludes, then this weekend is where it’s most likely to happen.
“I’m coming for you!” Hamilton jokingly said to Perez, who was sitting alongside him in the pre-weekend press conference, as reported by the official F1 website.
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Hamilton then became serious and openly admitted that there was no fight for second, as Perez is “too far away now”.
“He’s too far away now, to be honest. 30 points in two races, he would have to have two disasters and I would have to be second, basically. But for me, honestly, it really doesn’t make a different if we’re second or third.
“I think we’ve still had an amazing year, given the car that we’ve had. We never thought we would be fighting for second in the constructors’ and knocking on the door of the most dominant car, probably, of our era.”