Sergio Perez arrives home in Mexico with a clear hope: to finally win a race this season, and therefore his home race.
Perez hopes to race for victory this Sunday in Mexico with his upgraded Red Bull, while he drove in Austin without all of the improvements available to Max Verstappen at the United States Grand Prix.
“Austin wasn't a good weekend for me. We missed some of the upgrades, we basically thought the new flat bottom wasn't as great as it ended up being with Max. So much better for this weekend.”
“We had a little bit of new stuff on my RB20 and we just didn't have a good weekend. It wasn't a good weekend and I didn't gain a lot of confidence. But Mexico is different. It's a different game. It's a different track. We'll see. We have some changes here. I hope I can be the 8th different winner of the season. .”
How much slower was he on the lap as a result? In Austin, he suffered another slap of 9 tenths on one lap…
“The numbers and the facts will stay internal with the team, with the engineers. We know what the delta was.”
No response therefore from Perez visibly not bothered by his assertions.
Verstappen has won the last three times in Mexico and even enjoyed success there during Mercedes' dominant era. But Perez never won there.
“I think we've had some good races in the past. We've always been competitive. Every year I've been here with Red Bull, we've always fought for the win, for the podium, so I really hope that we can be at that level this weekend.”
In the battle for the Constructors' Championship, it is important that Perez also starts scoring points in the next five Grands Prix. Ferrari moved closer to Red Bull, to eight points. The Austrian team, which led the championship for much of the season, could finish last.
“I think it doesn't change anything. We want to win the constructors' championship, finish second or third, the result makes no difference. So we really want to win. For that we have to have the two cars with the best possible performance but also the best possible package.”
Perez was asked to explain his poor 2024 season even though he had started well by participating in the three doubles obtained in the first four races. But the situation suddenly deteriorated. The Mexican has not been on the podium since the fifth race, the Chinese Grand Prix.
“I know I had a terrible, very difficult season. It started very well, but it was really difficult. For me, if I get a good result, it can definitely change my season considerably in terms of feelings So I'm really ready to do it.”
“I've been on the podium before here in Mexico, and one of my sons was by my side. That moment will stay with me forever, having my son on the podium with me watching me. It's something something I hope he always remembers, if not, I'll at least have the photo to show him when he's older. These are the moments that really matter to me, and I hope I can repeat this one. weekend, only better.”
Perez is under contract to drive for Red Bull during the 2025 season, but there are doubts about that.
“I feel like I'm in the same boat as the team. We're working to solve it. We found a big problem at Monza and we're going in the right direction. I think that's Formula 1. Sometimes the results don't come and you just have to make sure you keep your head down, focus on the things you can control, and the rest, like those rumors that last, is something you can control. mustn't worry.”
