Home race desperation ended Perez's Mexican GP, as Ricciardo starred

The team desperately wanted him to do well, so being out-qualified by Daniel Ricciardo was already tough to take, but Perez looked to have rectified that with his great launch before colliding with Leclerc at Turn 1.

It was a move that led to almost an admission of desperation from Perez.

“I knew that today, a podium was not enough for me, and I really wanted to go for the win. I saw the gap and I went for it.

“I felt to be honest I would have let [the crowd] down more if I didn’t go for it. I decided to take a risk, I knew it was going to be very risky, and I ended up paying the price. Risk, reward, it was a pretty high risk to take.”

But it surely wasn’t worth taking it given the outcome. If Perez fails to beat Lewis Hamilton to second place in the drivers’ championship — the gap now just 20 points — then it feels like it will be a big dent to the belief in him within Red Bull, as the team has never achieved that one-two.

 

Ricciardo shuts me up

Last week’s column included the amount of effort being put into events both on and off the track by Daniel Ricciardo, and the fact he will need to back up his popularity with performances over the coming year to retain his position as one of the most recognisable and well-supported drivers in the Americas.

Firstly, some post-race damage that was discovered on his car in Austin did provide at least some explanation as to why his race faded so quickly, but Ricciardo himself admitted he was frustrated after the weekend he’d had and from the moment his last race ended he was itching to get back in the car in Mexico.

The reasoning was clear from the outset, as Ricciardo was totally on it from the start of FP1. He admitted he had “a chip on my shoulder” and wanted to prove any critics wrong but also show AlphaTauri that he was the right guy to have backed for 2024 and that his injury had not had a negative impact.

Qualifying fourth was mightily impressive but what stood out more was the fact he didn’t dine out on that result. Ricciardo played down his own performance in it and instead praised AlphaTauri’s developments, but added pressure to himself by saying he could stay up there in the race.

It was a telling display of where his mind is at, and he duly delivered with a strong drive in the race. Ricciardo didn’t look out of place at all as he held station on the opening lap and then sat close behind Lewis Hamilton after being overtaken. The red flag didn’t work for him but after some rustiness in Austin, two race starts and no major incidents were good going.

Just as last week wasn’t a race to fully judge him on, nor is one extra grand prix in Mexico, but Ricciardo has quickly shown the sort of signs that encouraged Red Bull when bringing him back in the summer.

(Now just wait for me to criticise him again in Sao Paulo).

 

Fans still need educating

Now this is not a direct dig at the fans that were in the paddock during the Mexico weekend. This was a venue that a year ago proved a little too intense as drivers were mobbed and grabbed at every opportunity, and often struggled to get across to their garages without being manhandled by overzealous guests.

It was all in good faith as the fans just wanted to make the most of what is likely to be one of the most special days they will ever have — and a chance to meet their heroes — but it often meant people were going beyond the acceptable limit in terms of demands and personal space.

Attempts were made to improve the situation this year with better security and a slight reduction in numbers who had paddock access, but there was still often a lack of awareness of what was going on around them. In the Ricciardo chat I mentioned on Saturday night we had to walk behind fences and through team kitchens to avoid crowds and complete an interview.

The reason for that was highlighted when I spoke to Alex Albon for radio and the microphone was almost disconnected by a fan who had just run straight between us wanting to get a photo with the Williams driver and ignoring the interview that was ongoing.

They weren’t alone in doing that, and it wasn’t a complaint at their passion or desire to get to the driver — I’m lucky I get to speak to them every weekend and don’t actually mind the interruption — but when you’re being physically pushed aside it’s clear those fans are not considering that they are in a working environment. And to gain knowledge of that, they need to be told clearly when they get paddock access what goes on there.

Mexico was a slight improvement from the year before and attempts are being made by the race organisers, plus it’s not the only location with such an issue, so it comes down to promoters and those handing out access to clearly explain to fans what they can and can’t expect, and what to look out for. Better policing of the area would also help, because fans need to retain such special access and you want them to leave having had the most amazing experience.

And on that note, for those that ended up fighting in the stands, it was encouraging to hear F1’s zero-tolerance policy came into immediate effect as the ejected fan was banned for life for attacking two fellow spectators.

 

Brazil’s going to be quiet

Not really a noticeable difference for anyone watching on television, but next weekend’s race at Interlagos is going to be particularly quiet in the paddock given the lack of media travelling to Brazil.

It’s not quite isolated to those providing coverage of the event either, but even a number of team members who aren’t going have expressed their excitement at being able to avoid the trip. And that’s not really how it should be for any grand prix.

Brazil is unlucky this year in the sense that the title battle is long since settled, but it has also been given a poor slot in the calendar by F1. At the end of a triple-header that includes significant amounts of travel, as the season winds down and paddock members become tired, and then with the tough double-header of Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi on the horizon. It stands out like a sore thumb to take off or cover remotely.

And even some who were intending on traveling have had to change plans last-minute due to illness, as the toll of such a congested end to the season starts to bite a little and plenty were struggling or hotel-bound for spells in Mexico City.

It’s a relatively small thing but the promoters must be frustrated that one of F1’s most iconic tracks isn’t going to get the love it deserves, and it’s a sign of how the ever-expanding calendar will start to lead to diminish the returns for some events. At this point it’s a minor thing to note, but F1 will need to pay attention to ensure race organisers feel they are getting value for money.