Formula 1 is set to resume the 2022 championship at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps with the Belgian GP. Red Bull and Ferrari have been the two teams battling for race wins and championships this season, while Mercedes was forced to take a back seat. Red Bull has a 97 points advantage in the constructors\’ championships, while Max Verstappen is leading the drivers\’ rankings with an 80-point lead. However, his teammate Sergio Perez has failed to enjoy a similar success since he won the Monaco GP.
The Mexican driver has struggled with the RB18 upgrades brought in to support Verstappen\’s driving style. Checo has finished just twice on the podium since the race in Monaco at the end of May. The Red Bull driver also suffered two DNFs in Canada and Austria. He has finished P4 and P5 during the last two outings in France and Hungary.
Thus, Perez is hoping to change his fortunes around during the rain-affected Belgian GP. The 32-year-old is third in the drivers\’ championship, merely five points behind Ferrari\’s Charles Leclerc and 85 points behind his teammate on top. Now, Checo would hope to clear the deficit to the Monegasque and get right behind Max Verstappen with a good result during unpredictable weather conditions in Spa.
Red Bull has clearly enjoyed their superior straight-line pace, winning nine of the first 13 races this season. Meanwhile, Ferrari seemed to have more firepower than their championship points suggest. A series of errors, reliability concerns, and strategic blunders have hindered Ferrari\’s progress and affected Leclerc\’s championship chances quite badly.
Sergio Perez Hopes To Take Advantage Of The Rainy Weather
The weather is expected to be rainy as usual in Spa. Last year\’s Belgian GP was also gravely affected by the weather. Not only that, the extreme rainfall led to dangerous situations during qualifying. In addition, the race start had to be delayed on several occasions. Eventually, Verstappen won the race in just over three minutes in two laps last year. George Russell finished behind him while Hamilton finished P3. The weather conditions have affected the racing event on several occasions in the past as well, and something similar is expected during the racing weekend this year.
However, Perez would love to take advantage of the weather conditions and secure a good finish for Red Bull. Pressure is increasing on Checo as he had failed to finish on the podium in the last three races since Silverstone. The Mexican driver is hoping that his team would be competitive and would look to get back in the mix for a win. He added, \”It\’s looking wet for the next few days, so that gives a few opportunities.\”