Sergio Perez was caught between defiance and regret after the Mexico City Grand Prix, much as he has been for a large part of this Formula 1 season.
Defiant because, he insisted, he was absolutely right to try for a risky move around the outside of his Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in a bold attempt to grab the lead at the first corner. Regret because the move did not come off. He collided with Leclerc, and his home race was over after just one lap.
Only the most optimistic of them will have been expecting a home win - Verstappen has been so dominant for so long that the prospect of Perez beating him seems remote in the extreme, no matter how close he might be on the grid. "I just wanted to give it all, went for it totally. To end the race on the first lap at your home grand prix is definitely really sad. On the other hand, I'm extremely proud of myself because I gave it my all."
"Looking at the footage, he could have left a little bit more space. But if it would have worked, you look amazing. It was more the excitement of trying to get on the podium. This time it didn't work out, unfortunately." Ricciardo has not had the easiest of returns. He did respectably well in his first two races back, but then broke his hand in a crash in practice at his third, and missed the next five.
The context for Ricciardo's return this summer was lost on no one. At the time, Perez was struggling. If Ricciardo could prove he had got his mojo back, then he would be an obvious option for Red Bull if Perez could not step it up. But Perez's crash on Sunday, coupled with an excellent second place for Hamilton in the Mercedes, has brought the gap between the two down to just 20 points with three grands prix and a sprint race to go.
"It's a tough moment for him," Horner said. "In front of his home crowd, he was very emotional. I just said: 'Look, next race next week . You were going for the lead of your home race. You wouldn't be a racing driver if you weren't going for it.'Perez, too, insists he will get his year back on track. "We're back there," he said. "Our pace is there. We knew what was wrong . The results will come. I'm not concerned by it.
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