McLaren's Newest Driver Sergio Perez Talking Tough Too Soon

By Spenser Walters
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Mexican Formula 1 young gun Sergio Perez is talking some big game on behalf of his new team McLaren. Perez apparently has little doubt that McLaren will be able to best Red Bull Racing in both the Driver’s Championship and Constructor’s Championship in the 2013 season.

It is always good to be confident about your abilities as a driver and your team’s abilities, but this is the three time reigning champion we’re talking about. I know that his new team mate Jenson Button, who is a high profile guy in Formula 1, came out in support of him and said that McLaren will do very well due to the new partnership. I know that McLaren had probably the best car early in 2012 before Red Bull made adjustments down the line, but they did make adjustments and McLaren had to settle for 3rd in the constructor’s points.  Had Perez been with McLaren last year they would have ended the year with 254 points instead of the 378, which would have seen them finish in 4th well behind Lotus F1 Team.

Perez is a very talented driver and has good fan support. When I was out at Circuit of the Americas for the United States Grand Prix last November it was overwhelming how many people showed up for the Sauber team autograph period just to see Perez. I have no doubt that McLaren will be solid with Perez and Button behind the wheel, but there will be an adjustment period as there always is when you put together a new set of team mates and McLaren might fall off a bit in 2013. You don’t part ways with a driver like Lewis Hamilton, who left to take a seat at Mercedes thus giving Perez the chance to step into a McLaren in the first place, and not fall off pace a little bit in the constructor’s points.

Button is salty, has been with McLaren for a while and finished 5th in driver’s points in 2012 with 188. He will produce in 2013. Perez is still relatively new to the sport, is in a new car and finished 10th in points last season with 66. Given time McLaren could challenge Red Bull. That could happen perhaps as early as the 2014 season. However, running your mouth right now is just providing bulletin board material for Red Bull and all the other teams who won’t like the idea that Perez seems to think that Formula 1 is a two team show. Not smart Sergio.

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