“I can still be champion this year”
While he is having the best season of his career, Sergio Perez considers that he can still beat his teammate, Max Verstappen, current championship leader who holds an 85-point lead over the Mexican driver.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has taken a considerable lead in the drivers’ standings, especially in recent races, but his teammate Sergio Perez is mathematically still in contention for the title. When our colleagues from Sport Bild asked him if he could become champion, Sergio Perez naturally replied: “Absolutely ! If everything goes well and I drive perfectly, I can beat anyone in Formula 1. Max too, I have demonstrated it several times this season.”
On his teammate, the Mexican added: “Max has incredible qualities, he is extremely calm for his age and he has a very good feeling with the car. That’s why the question isn’t whether I can beat him over a weekend, but how many classes I can finish ahead of him..”
“It’s a matter of regularity. I can do it, mon experience helps me. I applied everything seen in Formula 1. Add to that the hard work with the team and the energy I put into physical preparation, among other things. I am in good shape. All this gives me a lot of self-confidence. That’s why I have no doubt that I can become a champion.“
“I’m part of the best team in the world. The amount of knowledge and talent gathered here is incredible” said the Mexican driver when asked if he should be at Red Bull to win the championship. “With Max, I have a world-class driver as a teammate. We get on well and work together to make Red Bull successful, but of course we are also competitors. Everyone wants to be the best. We continue to push each other to the next level. Beating Max is a big challenge.
Even if the winner of the 2022 edition of the Monaco Grand Prix is having the best season of his career, he is only third currently in the drivers’ championship. A few races, Sergio Perez seems less comfortable with his single-seater. He notably finished in fourth place at the French Grand Prix and fifth in Budapest when Max Verstappen won these last two rounds.
“I feel very good in the car, but it’s not perfect. At the start of the season, I had top speed. Now we have developed the car and it no longer suits my driving style 100%. I have to adapt because it currently suits Max and his riding style better.”
“So I have to get used to it as soon as possible and hope that we will go more in the direction we had at the start of the season. Then I can really attack again. I can’t even imagine what it must be like to celebrate a title. This is exactly what motivates me. If I wasn’t in such a capable car, I probably wouldn’t be in the sport anymore.
The Red Bull driver is now 32 years old and has a contract with the team until 2024. However, he does not imagine ending his career when this contract is issued.
“I still have a contract until 2024, but I can’t imagine that I will end my career then. I’m too young for that and I’m still having too much fun. Even if the sport takes a lot of time. But that’s how it is, Formula 1 is your life. And you can’t leave that behind. And yet it won’t be hard for me in the end.”
“The best times of my life have nothing to do with racing. For example, the birth of my children. But even the simple things mean a lot to me. If I can buy me a taco in Mexico for 20 pesos [environ 1€] and spending time with my family, these are moments you don’t experience in Formula 1″ a concluded the Mexican pilot.