Red Bull’s Sergio Perez currently trails his teammate, Max Verstappen, by 57 points in the 2022 Driver Standings. Even so, the Mexican believes he can still bounce back and win the title this year but acknowledges that he cannot afford any more DNFs.
After winning the Monaco Grand Prix, Perez trailed Verstappen by just 15 points, but has since retired twice in four faces – including the last time around in Austria. Next up on the calendar is the French Grand Prix at Circuit Paul Ricard, and Perez needs a strong result.
“After a tough weekend in Austria, it’s great to be back racing and have a chance to put things right,” said Perez during a recent interview. “We have had two DNFs in the past three races and we can’t afford that in the championships so I’m aiming to change that this weekend in France.”
“I’m still in contention for the drivers’ championship, so personally it is also important not to lose any more points.”
He then went on to say: “Last year I scored my second podium with the team in France, and I am very looking forward to trying to repeat that. Paul Ricard is a challenging track because there are different racing lines you can take through the corners and it’s not easy to know which is the best one to use.”
Perez also said that high temperatures will be yet another factor to consider as the teams will try to manage tire degradation as best they can.
Of course, defeating his teammate will be tough, especially since Verstappen won last year’s French Grand Prix after overtaking title rival Lewis Hamilton on the penultimate lap. Then there’s Ferrari, which looks every bit as strong as Red Bull at the moment, so Perez will definitely have his work cut out – even more so if Mercedes can mount any type of podium challenge.
“After a tough weekend in Austria, it’s great to be back racing and have a chance to put things right,” said Perez during a recent interview. “We have had two DNFs in the past three races and we can’t afford that in the championships so I’m aiming to change that this weekend in France.”
“I’m still in contention for the drivers’ championship, so personally it is also important not to lose any more points.”
He then went on to say: “Last year I scored my second podium with the team in France, and I am very looking forward to trying to repeat that. Paul Ricard is a challenging track because there are different racing lines you can take through the corners and it’s not easy to know which is the best one to use.”
Perez also said that high temperatures will be yet another factor to consider as the teams will try to manage tire degradation as best they can.
Of course, defeating his teammate will be tough, especially since Verstappen won last year’s French Grand Prix after overtaking title rival Lewis Hamilton on the penultimate lap. Then there’s Ferrari, which looks every bit as strong as Red Bull at the moment, so Perez will definitely have his work cut out – even more so if Mercedes can mount any type of podium challenge.