A Formula 1 legend has told Sergio Perez that he holds a key advantage which could help him get the better of Max Verstappen this weekend.
Round five of the 2023 season sees the F1 circus head Stateside for one of three visits this year. The first of those stops is in Florida, as the Miami Grand Prix returns for a second campaign after making its debut in the sport's schedule last year.
Perez arrives in the Sunshine State on a high after victory in both the Sprint and main race last weekend in Azerbaijan. Those results mean he is just six points behind his Red Bull team-mate Verstappen after four events.
Questions remain over whether or not he can match the Dutchman over a season, but Perez has done a fine job so far by winning two of those four races. And he will be hoping to make it back-to-back successes in Miami this weekend.
F1 legend Mika Hakkinen, who is a double world champion like Verstappen, believes the Mexican is capable of doing exactly that. Writing in his Unibet column, the Finn explained that Perez's reputation for looking after his tyres very well will give him an advantage on the abrasive race surface this weekend.
"The track has been resurfaced for this year," Hakkinen observed. "The new surface is designed to offer more grip, especially under braking so, when combined with the high temperatures, this will make it hard on tyres.
"Anyone who has a reputation for being good with tyre management – Checo Perez being one example – could have a real advantage on Sunday."
The fast and tight street circuit in Azerbaijan usually promises plenty of drama, but there was little to be found in last Sunday's race which was comfortably the least entertaining of the season so far. Hakkinen is hoping that, like in F1's first Miami Grand Prix, there will be more action this weekend to make up for it.
He added: "Last year we saw a virtual safety car and then a full safety car, so I expect we will see the same or more this year. The narrow sections of the track make it easy to touch the wall and, as we have seen many times before, a safety car period can really make a big difference to the results."
