The 2022 F1 season is winding down to a close very quickly. We just had a race in Austin last weekend and we’ve already made our way to New Mexico for the F1 Mexican GP.
There are only three races left in the season and both the championships have already been awarded to Red Bull. Having said that, as the circus heads to Mexico, there are multiple drivers on the grid desperate for a strong result when the checkered flag falls on Sunday. Who are they? Let’s find out!
#3 George Russell (Mercedes)
George Russell kicked off his career at Mercedes with a super impressive seven-race win streak over his teammate. It does mean a lot when that teammate is Lewis Hamilton of all people. Having said that, a lot of it was put down by the team and Hamilton himself as a consequence of him running the experimental setups to improve the car.
Regardless, once the experimental setups were a thing of the past, the season changed in complexion for Lewis and the rivalry changed in complexion for Russell.
Hamilton has established himself as a clear benchmark at Mercedes while Russell has continued to struggle to match his illustrious teammate. So much so that Russell has not even once out-qualified Hamilton since the summer break.
What was even more alarming for Russell was the apparent gap between the two drivers at the United States GP last weekend. While Hamilton was fighting for the win against Max Verstappen, George Russell finished P5 behind both Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc.
The 24-year-old Mercedes driver termed the 2022 F1 US GP as his worst race of the season and will be hoping to script a comeback this weekend in Mexico.
#2 Mick Schumacher (Haas F1)
Mick Schumacher might be looking at the last three races of his F1 career for some time. It has become increasingly apparent that the German has run out of favor at Haas and the team is not even close to being interested in extending their association with him.
Mick has lost opportunities to score points in Zandvoort, Singapore, Suzuka, and Austin. However, none of them have really been his fault and it has come down to bad luck or Haas’ operational excellence that has been a question mark.
The German has clearly been the better Haas driver in the second half of the season, with even teammate Kevin Magnussen admitting that he has found it tough to keep up with Mick recently.
Having said that, despite all these things working in his favor, Mick Schumacher is more than likely to lose his seat to Nico Hulkenberg next season.
For Mick, the last three races are supposed to serve as a proving ground for any potential suitors (Williams) that are willing to give him a chance. The 2022 F1 Mexican GP will be the weekend where the German will try to prove how good he can be.
In a car that tends to generate too much drag, a track at a high altitude could work in his favor. The 23-year-old Haas driver will be hoping for better luck and an improved showing this coming weekend.
#1 Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
While for both Mick Schumacher and George Russell, the coming weekend is all about proving how good they are, for Sergio Perez, the motivation is entirely different.
Sure, for the Red Bull driver, the battle for P2 in the championship against Charles Leclerc is of utmost importance. There is, however, a bigger motivation to play here for Checo and that is the fact that he is racing on home soil this weekend.
In all his years of racing and coming to Mexico, Checo Perez has not had a better opportunity to fight for a race in his entire career. Red Bull has been an all-around car this season and has worked its magic at every different track layout that the F1 circus has gone to.
Even for the F1 Mexican GP, Red Bull expect to be a strong contender once again. That being the case, Sergio Perez is looking at a bright possibility of becoming the first Mexican to win the F1 Mexican GP.
And looking at the way Perez has performed this season, he will definitely take heart from his two wins and will be desperate to win on home soil.
Sergio Perez has picked up two wins this season at Monaco and Singapore. Both of those wins have been very emotional for him and have come at a crucial moment in the season. The 32-year-old Red Bull driver would happily trade both of those wins for a chance to take the checkered flag this weekend in Mexico.
What’s your favorite race of the 2022 season so far? Tell us in the comments below..
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