In the quest for the runner-up position behind the already crowned 2023 world champion, Max Verstappen, the spotlight falls on the intense battle between Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez. The Las Vegas Grand Prix holds the key to this showdown, with a 32-point gap between Perez in second and Hamilton in third, and 52 points up for grabs in the final two races.

In the lead-up to the Las Vegas race, Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, playfully remarked alongside Perez, “I’m coming for you!” However, the seriousness of the situation was not lost on him, acknowledging the significant points margin. Hamilton conceded, “He’s too far away now, to be honest.” Realistically assessing the situation, he added, “But for me, honestly, it really doesn’t make a difference if we’re second or third.”

Despite the championship dynamics, Hamilton reflected on an exceptional year for his team, considering the challenges they faced. “We never thought we would be fighting for second in the constructors’ and knocking on the door of the most dominant car, probably, of our era,” he noted.

On the other side of the rivalry, Perez, fresh off a fourth-place finish in Brazil, expressed his determination to conclude the season on a high note and secure Red Bull’s first-ever one-two finish in the drivers’ championship. With a pragmatic outlook, he emphasized the importance of focusing on their own performance over the next two weekends. “It would be nice to secure it here, because it’s the first opportunity that we have, but other than that, I think it’s more important that we focus on having a strong finish to the season,” Perez remarked.

As the anticipation builds for the Las Vegas Grand Prix and the subsequent finale in Abu Dhabi, the racing world awaits the resolution of this captivating battle for the second spot on the podium.