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Formula One F1 – United States Grand Prix – Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, U.S. – October 24, 2021 Red Bull’s Sergio Perez during a press conference after finishing the United States Grand Prix in third place FIA/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
via Reuters
Formula One F1 – United States Grand Prix – Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, U.S. – October 24, 2021 Red Bull’s Sergio Perez during a press conference after finishing the United States Grand Prix in third place FIA/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
Sergio Perez made his Formula 1 debut in 2011, and it certainly has been a career of ups and downs for the Mexican. After a 10-year wait, the Mexican finally clinched his first-ever Grand Prix victory in Bahrain last year. However, there is another wait he is yet to end – pole position.
As of the United States Grand Prix, Perez has had a total of 212 race starts in Formula 1, making it the longest wait for pole position for an F1 driver, according to Motorsport. There were a couple of occasions where Perez came close to ending the infamous streak.
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BAKU, AZERBAIJAN – APRIL 29: Third place finisher Sergio Perez of Mexico and Force India celebrates on the podium during the Azerbaijan Formula One Grand Prix at Baku City Circuit on April 29, 2018 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
The biggest of all happened at the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix. As the chequered flag waved over the qualifying session, the ex-Racing Point driver was still holding onto pole. But, a late charge from his own teammate, Lance Stroll, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, meant that he could only clinch P3.
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Bugün farklı bir rekor ile karşınızdayız: Pole almadan en çok yarışa çıkan pilot!
Bu ilginç rekorun sahibi Sergio Perez. İlk yarışını geçen yıl Sakhir'de kazanan Perez, 212 yarışa çıkmasına rağmen hiç pole alamadı.
Sizce Perez, kendi evinde bu seriye son verebilecek mi?#F1 pic.twitter.com/YWTnh1Ni1B
— Motorsport.com Türkiye 🇹🇷 (@motorsportcomtr) November 1, 2021
The latest pole heartbreak happened at COTA last weekend. Yet again, Perez was on provisional pole. However, this time, it was Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, who spoiled the Mexican’s party.
Can Sergio Perez end this streak in Mexico?
After a troubled start to the 2021 season, Perez is starting to reveal his true pace at Red Bull; it looks like the Mexican has found the right set-up that suits his driving style, something that has irked most of the other second drivers at Red Bull in the past.
Hence, after a close miss at the United States GP, the next stop is Mexico, Perez’s home. And what better place to claim his first Grand Prix pole than in front of his home crowd?
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Formula One F1 – United States Grand Prix – Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, U.S. – October 23, 2021 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez celebrate after Verstappen qualified for pole position. REUTERS/Mike Blake
He does hold a significant chance of accomplishing this goal in Mexico.
Of course, there’s the power of Red Bull that will likely keep him ahead of most of the field. But, apart from that, there is also the potential boost he might receive from the support of Mexican spectators over the weekend, urging him to score big points.
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So, this is his chance. Things are consolidating perfectly for Perez to claim his first-ever F1 pole this weekend at Hermanos Rodriguez. But, can he stop the high-flying duo of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen?
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