“More Disadvantageous for Verstappen”: Sergio Perez Tipped to Make Max Feel the Heat Following Imola Cancellation

There’s a reason why Sergio Perez is called ‘the King of the Streets’! 10 of Perez’s 19 F1 podiums have come on street tracks, and the numbers don’t lie. He has a better record on street tracks compared to all his teammates in F1. Especially against Max Verstappen because he’s now in Red Bull and challenging the Dutchman for the Championship. On the other hand, Max Verstappen performs better than Perez on traditional circuits. So, he was seeking his third-straight win in the Emilia Romagna GP, having won in 2021 and 2022. However, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was canceled and it can be a disadvantage for the world champion.

Following the cancellation of the China Grand Prix earlier in April, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix has now also been canceled due to severe flooding in the region. Therefore, Verstappen now found himself in a unique situation where five Grand Prix in a row are being held on street circuits as opposed to the original F1 calendar where there were five street races in the first eight events. This could help Perez close the gap to Verstappen in the driver’s standings and hurt the 2x champ in the title battle going forward. 

Speaking about how the cancellation of Imola could play a role in deciding the battle between the Red Bull drivers, analyst Peter Windsor said, as quoted by F1 Maximaal, “What would Max think now? One less race for me to win? There is no doubt that this was more of a Max circuit than a Checo circuit, so this is more disadvantageous for Verstappen. If these two guys[Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez] get close in terms of points towards the end of the year – and that’s a big assumption of course – then Max will feel the pain of being absent from the race in Imola.”

Read More: “Straight up Max Verstappen”: F1 Fans Rejoice as 2X Champion Agrees to Save Cancelled Emilia-Romagna GP Race Weekend

In the same interview, Windsor also spoke about how F1’s decision to cancel the Imola race was quick and impressive. 

Stefano Domenicali’s role in F1’s quick thinking 

Unlike the chaos we saw around the races in Australia in 2020 and in Belgium in 2021, F1 was quick and clear with their decision to cancel the race in Imola this time. They canceled the race a full 48 hours before the first free practice session and drew much praise on Wednesday. However, Windsor highlighted the influence of Formula 1 chief executive and former Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali on the decision. “I think the decision was also largely from Stefano Domenicali,” the 71-year-old Windsor said. 

Speaking about why the FIA could’ve taken Domenicali’s input on Imola, Windsor said, “He[Domenicali] grew up in Imola, he’s the head of Liberty Formula 1, and it’s his circuit. If he doesn’t know if it’s possible to hold a Grand Prix here, then no one on this planet knows, so I think the FIA ​​has respected Stefano’s opinion on this. That’s what I assume.”

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What role could the cancellation of the 2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix play in deciding the Drivers’ Championship?