#of course f1 should strive towards having the best possible drivers on the grid

[pitwallpoints]

with sergio perez leaving red bull, and (likely) formula one for good, this needs to be said.

SERGIO PEREZ LEGACY AS A DRIVER SHOULD NOT BE DEFINED BY THESE LAST TWO YEARS

i have some issues with perez, he's not entirely uncontroversial (both on and off the track). but in the mercedes dominance era he took the fight to the top teams whenever the opportunity arose. the podiums were reserved for the three top teams (mercedes, ferrari, red bull). even the top six were often reserved for the top teams.

checo scoring a podium for force india or whatever the fuck they are called was a big deal. it was fun, fans enjoyed seeing an underdog scoring a p3. him getting the seat at red bull after winning bahrain (short version) in 2020 was great. it was an increasingly rare opportunity for fans to see how an established, "older" driver would perform in one of the fastest cars on the grid.

and the first two years were fine (excluding literally all the drama lol). should he have thrown in the towel two years ago? probably. can't expect and f1 driver to just "give up" though.

so, cheers to the drivers who aren't generational talents, the strugglers and the journeymen! 🍾🏁

(bonus "he's got so much rear end" content)