How at risk is Perez’s P2 spot to Hamilton in 2023?

The battle for second

With Verstappen wrapping up the title in Qatar, attention turns to the fight between Perez and Hamilton for second in the drivers’ championship.

Just 30 points separate the aforementioned duo with five rounds to go (including two sprint races).

Qatar was a big missed opportunity for Hamilton to cut that gap in half after crashing out on the opening lap following contact with Mercedes teammate George Russell.

Perez endured another shocker as he picked up three time penalties for track limits, leaving him 10th in the final classification behind the two Alfa Romeos.

The Mexican still has a strong grip on P2 behind Verstappen, mainly due to the fact that Mercedes, Ferrari, Aston Martin and McLaren have traded positions as the second-fastest team throughout the season.

The four teams take points off each other - one weekend McLaren are Red Bull’s nearest challenger, another it’s Ferrari - meaning no driver can consistently score big points and thus overtake Perez.

Perez’s abysmal form should give Hamilton confidence that finishing runner-up is a realistic possibility.

Fernando Alonso is still in contention - he’s 11 points behind his former McLaren teammate - but given Aston Martin’s lack of overall performance since the middle part of the year, it’s unlikely he will be a factor come Abu Dhabi.

Another layer to this is the fact Red Bull has never seen their drivers finish 1-2 in the championship.

If Perez isn’t able to secure it, the pressure on his future with the team would surely only ramp up further.

Ricciardo’s return

Daniel Ricciardo will make his long-awaited return from injury at this weekend’s United States Grand Prix.

Ricciardo has been forced to miss the last five races after suffering a broken metacarpal during a practice crash at Zandvoort in August.

The Australian broke his wrist and underwent surgery in Barcelona shortly after that.

Since then, Ricciardo has been in rehab, recovering, while stand-in Liam Lawson has starred.

Despite his absence, Ricciardo’s F1 future is secure after AlphaTauri announced he will remain with the team alongside Yuki Tsunoda for 2024.

Ricciardo will be keen to impress, particularly given Perez’s poor form.

If he has a great end of the year, and Perez continues to struggle, could he return to Red Bull sooner than expected?

Haas’ major upgrade 

Haas will introduce a substantial upgrade for their home event at the Circuit of the Americas.

Their update is akin to McLaren and Aston Martin’s in terms of completely altering their car concept, aligning it with traits of the dominant RB19 from this year.

While Haas don’t expect a McLaren-style leap from it, it should give them encouragement going into next year provided it works.

Haas have slipped back to ninth in the constructors’ championship following Alfa’s double-score in Qatar - so the timing of the upgrade could be a welcome boost.

More misery for Stroll?

After some pushing and shoving in the garage at Losail, Lance Stroll will be hoping Texas brings a drama-free weekend.

Like his former Racing Point teammate Perez, Stroll’s has struggled in recent rounds, failing to score points since the summer break - Alonso has scored 34 in the same period.

The Canadian has been knocked out in Q1 at the last four consecutive races highlighting how turgid it has been for him.