Number twos

As the F1 circus left Montreal after the Canadian Grand Prix, the feeling of inevitability around Max Verstappen’s hat-trick of championship titles felt stronger than ever.

Whilst his teammate Sergio Perez had hit a bit of a purple patch earlier this season, I always felt privately and said publicly that a season-long battle against Max was probably hoping for a bit too much. What I didn’t expect was for Checo’s run of form to fall apart quite so quickly.

On the morning of race day in Miami, Perez was starting the race from pole position with Max down in ninth after a problem in qualifying. The Mexican was on form after wins in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, but after being passed in the Miami Grand Prix by the reigning double World Champion, he has been outscored 136 to 60 points in the past five races. Which isn’t great.