The 2013 year starteanges toe HawkBloggeed new ones... And other drivers have switched teams. So, at the end of the 2012 season we learned that young Sauber driver Sergio Perez would be switching over to Vodafone Mclaren-Mercedes, after signing a multi-year contract with the team. He would be replacing Lewis Hamilton, who made his switch to Mercedes. Sergio would be driving alongside Jenson Button.
Sergio Perez was immediately questioned about being switched to such a great team. People questioned his age, his skill, and if he could handle being under such intense pressure. He knew he would have to do his best, if he wanted to shine.
When McLaren's new car model, the MP4-28, was launched on January 31st 2013, it was praised for it's beauty, and was expected to get lots of points this season. But it was far from that.
McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh even said himself: "Clearly we've lost our way in developing this car."
There was not much the team could do, now. They couldn't go back and
build a whole new model, or make extreme changes to the current one. The drivers would just have to do their best, and find a way to make the most of the car.
So, the year started off in Melbourne, Australia, and Perez set 11th best time in First Practice with 1:28.597. He knew he had to push the car further in P2, and unfortunately it didn't work out that way and he was down to 13th best lap time with 1:228.566. In practice 3, things took a worse turn for the McLaren and he ended up with 18th best lap time with 1:33.527, only being able to complete 8 laps in that session. It was not Perez's fault... The car was just not up to standards.
Perez was able to get through to the Second Round of Qualifying, and started 15th on the grid - He then went on to finish the race in 11th place, with his team mate Jenson Button finishing in 9th.
In Malaysia, Perez had some okay practice laps and his results were - P1: 13th 1:38.830 / P2: 11th 1:37.838, and P3: 12th 1:37.538. He then moved on to start 10th on the grid, and finish the race in 9th place, giving him better results than he had in Australia, but he knew he could push the car further. Was it China? Not quite.
In China, he slid out in the gravel in Practice one and ended with a best lap of 16th 1:39.360, then P2 with 11th 1:36.940, but his best was in P23 with 9th 1:36.777. He had a tough qualifying and started 12th on the grid, and finished the race in 11th.
Incredible results happened in the Bahrain Grand Prix, after the practice rounds, which were: 11th 1:35.640, 13th 1:35.579, and 13th 1:34.282. He then qualified 12th. The race was long, and tough. After pitting, and trying to push the car as fast as it could go, he ended up Wheel-To-Wheel with his team mate, Jenson Button, and the two bumped tyres. Earlier that week, Perez was told to "Toughen up" and be "More agressive" out on track. Some critics even said that the young driver was "Too nice".
After the little wheel collision, Button came over the radio saying "He just hit me up the back. Calm him down." But, Martin Whitmarsh chose not to give any orders at the time. Perez finished the race in an incredible 6th place, bringing points to the team. Both Sergio and Jenson had a sit down to talk about what had happened on the track. The two apologised to the team, and it was announced that there were no hard feelings between the two drivers.
In the beginning of May, it was time for Round 5 of the 2013 F1 season, and the drivers headed to Spain. Perez completed the 3 practice rounds with results of: -13th 1:27.135, 13th 1:24.854, and 14th 1:23.373. In qualifying, he was supposed to start on the grid in 9th position, but due to Ferrari driver Felipe Massa getting a 3 place grid penalty, Perez actually got to start 8th instead. After a tough race, Sergio finished in 9th, which was still a good result considering the car wasn't race-fit.
Sergio is now looking to get his first points in the Monaco GP this weekend, after having a very scary crash back in 2011, which sent him to the hospital. McLaren is very happy with what Perez has already acheived while on the team, and has no plans to change their driver line-up next year.
Article Written By: Amy HawkBlogger
Sources and info credit to bbc.co.uk, and wikipedia.com
No copyright infringement intended.
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