Perez’s world came crashing down around him - qui💙te literally - when a risky attempt to take the lead of the Mexico City Graꦑnd Prix backfired and ended up in a heartbreaking retirement. 

Having made a fast start from fifth on the grid and picked up a strong tow, Perez looked to challenge around the outside of Red Bull teammate168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史: Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Charles Leclerc on the approach to the Turn 1 right-hander. 

But instead of swooping into a dream early lead, Perez collided with Leclerc, tipping him airborne and into the run off area. He was able to crawl back to the pits but the damage was done🅰 and his race was over, having lasted mere seconds. 

It was th🃏e F1 equivalent of scoring 🧸an own goal in football.

While the collision was a classic firstﷺ-lap i𓆏ncident, it was a costly misjudgement from Perez, who admitted with hindsight he could have avoided the crash. 

“I shouldn’t say that but in hindsight, I should back out and go homeꦡ,” the Mexican told Sky.

“I just wanted to give it [my] all, [I] went totally for it. I’m very sad꧟ for the end result, to end the race on the first lap at your home grand prix is definitely really sad,” he continued. 

“On the other hand, I’m extremely proud of myself because 𝄹I gave it my all. We left it all [on the ta🅰ble] the whole weekend. We had probably the best start of the year. We just went for it.”

Red Bull team principal Christia🅺n Horner said he “can’t blame” Perez for trying the sort of ambitious move that hinted at ༺a driver who is desperate to impress. 

It marked a devastatinꦍg end to a weekend that had started with much promise for Perez, who looked to finally be returning to some much-needed form that would hav🦋e helped silence some of the noise surrounding his future.

Instead, the wait for improvedౠ results continues and the pressure on Perez has only intensified as questions swirl over a 2024 drive that already has his name on it - by virtue of a contract (for what it's worth).

Perez’s bi🍒d to remain a Red Bull driver next season will not have been helped by the starring display of the main competitor vying to steal his seat. 

Ricciardo’s timely statement to Red Bull 

In sharp contrast to Perez, things couldn’t have gone much better for 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Daniel Ricciardo as he enjoyed his strongest p♈erformance of his Al💮phaTauri F1 comeback so far. 

Ricciardo grabbed headlines♔ in qualifying by beating Perez to secure a superb fourth on the grid, which he converted into AlphaTauri’s best result of the season with a s🍨trong drive to seventh. 

The Australian ran comfortably inside the top five until an ill-timed red flag hampered him, though he was still able to take seventh, and was a lap short of snatching sixth from Mercedes’ 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:George Russell. 

What made Ricciardo’s weekend even more impre💯ssive was that it was just his second race back from a lengthy injury lay-off with a broken hand that interrupted his shock F1 comeback almost before it had properly begun. 

The result in Mexico City has lifted AlphaTauri off the bottom of the constructors’ championship and up ༒to eighth, ahead of both Alfa Romeo and Haas. It could prove to be worth millions t🌃o AlphaTauri come the end of the season.

And it may turn out to be priceless for Ricciardo, whose statement dri🍨ve was quickly acknowledged by Horner, who heaped praise on the 34-year-old. 

"He fully endorsed the reason why we brought him back," Horner said. "I thought he was outstanding this weekend. Fighting a Mercedes with an Alpha Tauri. A great performance from him a💛nd he looked like the Daniel of oldဣ this weekend.”

Horner’s final comment was a reference to Ricciardo’s previous spell🌟 at Red Bull. Since Ricciardo left, the three drivers to occupy his former seat have not been able to get as close to Verstappen as he did.&nb𝓡sp;

Being Verstappen’s teammate is a position that Ricciardo has made clear he wanꩵts back, and if he keeps on performi♔ng like this, his case will become hard to ignore. 

Red Bull standing by Perez… for now

The problem for Ricciardo is that publicly, at least, Red Bull arꦦe continuing to back Perez. 

After the race, Hornerꦍ stressed Perez has Red Bull’s “full support” and rei𒀰terated that it remains the world champions’ “intention” to honour his contract for next term. 

“Sergio has an agreement with us for nex🌠t year and our intention is for him to be in the car in 2024,” he 🎉said. “We will give him all the support he needs to ensure he finishes second in the championship.”

“There is no prerequisite that if he doesn’t finish second, he is out of the team. It is not as binary 🔯as that. You have to look at the circumstances,” Horner added.

“It was a tough mome🉐nt for him in front of his home crowd and he was very emotional, but he wouldn’t be a racing driver if he didn’t go for the lead at his home race. It is a big loss for him in a car that was capable of being on the podium.

“He is a tough operator and that is why he is in the car, because mentally he has always been able to bounce back. He will b༒rush himself dow💧n and turn it into motivation. He has the full support of the team.”

Even Helmut Marko,🐷 who has been notably critical of Perez’s inconsistent performances this season, showed a rare display of sympathy toward🍸s his driver. 

"How many times do I have to r𒅌epeat this? Checo has a contract for 2024 and it will happen,” the Austrian firmly retorted when asked about the possibility of Perez being replaced.

“Until the first lap of the race, he drove a super weekend and I am convinced he ꦅwould have bee🃏n on the podium.”

But will the patience of Red Bull - a team with history ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚof ruthlessly wielding the axe - run out if Perez cannot shake out of his slump, and Ricciardo continues to deliver in the final three rounds? 

Perez’s results, in a car that Verstappen has taken to a record-breaking 16 wins from 19 races this season, are fast beco🐽ming indefe🌳nsible.