Is Perez the man for McLaren in 2014?

Sergio Perez

In 2012 a young Mexican driver impressed the F1 paddock with his speed and driving skill. He also did what numerous drivers on the grid, six of them World Champions – managed to keep his tyres on the wheel against the odds. The young fellow was Sergio Perez and his performances that year helped him to secure the empty racing seat at McLaren, a seat left vacant by the departing Lewis Hamilton.

Perez’s 2014 season though hasn’t been quite as good as his audition last year. He has managed to score just 23 points in 14 races this year and has been berated left right and centre for his rather aggressive style of driving something that he was lauded for last year. However, most of the criticism though a bit harsh (Kimi Raikkonen apparently wanted to punch him in the face after Perez almost crashed into him during the race).

However not all the blame can be placed on the young Mexican as McLaren’s MP4-28 almost seems to be just willing to self-destruct at a moment’s notice, it’s godforsaken handling has ruffled even the usually calm Jenson Button. However, the Englishman has been able to out-wrestle the car and has managed to bring it home inside the points bracket more often than not.

Perez on the other hand seems to be sniffing around for trouble no matter where he goes. In Bahrain where he came 6th, he was seen battling like mad with his very own team mate Button and the duo’s cars even touched a few times. However it was at Monaco where his rather regressive style got him into trouble again. A few bumps with Raikkonen later he was back in the pits licking his wounds.

Not everything though has been going wrong for the young Mexican, he has managed to earn points in half of the races in the season and has been trying to tune out the over aggressiveness from his driving. this in turn has helped him to mend fences with both the management and his team mate.

The race in Japan though has raised even more questions about the young Mexican’s temperament and McLaren were once again forced to fend off questions about whether or not they would hold onto him for next year.Lets take a look at what 2014 could hold for Perez.

McLaren have remained rather mum about whether or not they would let Perez keep his race seat for next year. Many so called experts are even claiming that the young Mexican is on his way out of Woking. McLaren silence though does not mean that Perez is on his way out rather it shows that they are still willing to allow him to prove to them that he can race for them.

The fact remains that Perez has an uncanny talent to keep his tyres working for far longer than usual. Also he is no slouch behind the wheel and the very tactics that see him getting vilified on another day will be applauded if it means that McLaren get a podium or maybe even a win. Also mercurial talents are something McLaren are known to nurture such talents, be it Senna or Hamilton. And perhaps with the proper guidance, they too can unearth the diamond from the coal.

Another thing that McLaren will have to look at is money. Though not exactly strapped for cash themselves, McLaren know that they will have to spend proper money to ensure that they are able to take on Red Bull colossal fire-power. Also factoring in will be the issue of a title sponsor – as their partnership with Vodafone will come to an end at this season. Perez can help with this due to his association with Telemex, the Mexican telecommunications company owned by the World’s richest man Carlos Slim. By ensuring Perez that stays at McLaren, Telemex could easily slot in and take Vodafone’s place in the team. Any other rivals for his seat barely bring in that much money.

So is Perez, the right choice for McLaren well considering both his talent and his ability to bring in the money, he seems to be the best choice.