Sergio Perez appeared very confident during the press conference, with Red Bull set to decide his future after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Sergio Perez spoke during the Thursday press conference ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the season. It’s a season to forget for the Mexican driver, who has constantly been under pressure. Red Bull as confirmed by Helmut Marko, will decide the future of the former Sauber driver after the Abu Dhabi race.
Perez, for his part, appeared quite confident about the upcoming season while reflecting on the current championship. He said: “In the Las Vegas race, we didn’t expect the degradation to be so severe, even with the hard tire. There have been improvements, and with the setup, we are getting closer. We weren’t that competitive, but I think this track should suit us. As for a glimpse of 2024? I had a good start, but as soon as we returned to Europe, things took a negative turn.
We lost our way with the car. In some weekends, things didn’t go in the right direction, and in others, we tried different things, but you need to focus on a few key areas. Sometimes it goes like that in Formula 1, but we can turn things around for next season. It’s hard to say what I could have done better. The car changed, and it took time for me to adapt. Sometimes it’s not easy to understand the data and drive through the issues. It’s been harder for me than for Max. Identifying the problems earlier could have helped.”
Regarding the difficulties faced during the season, Perez added: “For someone who’s not in the team, it’s hard to understand when you’re far off and when you’re not able to extract 100% from the car. As a team, we are working on fixing everything. In the end, the team has all the information, and I can only speak up to a certain point here. There’s a reason why we extended my contract.”
And on Verstappen: “It’s been his best season in the way he’s pushed the team in all areas. He’s made a step forward outside of the car. In the end, we work as a team. I’ve been here for 14 years, and I’ve never publicly spoken about my contracts.”