Suffering not one but two slumps during the 2023 season, Sergio Perez admits there were times he “regressed” as he lost the World title to Max Verstappen.
Perez’s 2023 championship has been extensively discussed due to his unfortunate crash during qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix.
Initially, he had high hopes of securing a World title as he competed fiercely against his teammates, each claiming two victories. However, the Mexican driver’s aspirations took a different turn as he now faced the challenge of maintaining his position within the Red Bull team.
Sergio Perez: We have sometimes even regressed
After failing to secure a spot in Q3 for five consecutive races, starting from Monaco to Silverstone, and only managing five top-three finishes since his victory in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko expressed his disappointment in Perez’s performance, stating that he had awakened from the dream of winning a World title, only to find himself trapped in a nightmare.
As the gap between Perez and Verstappen continued to widen, both on the track and in the championship standings, names like Daniel Ricciardo, Liam Lawson, and even Lando Norris were thrown into the mix as potential replacements.
However, despite finishing the season in second place, albeit a staggering 290 points behind his teammate, Red Bull decided to honor Perez’s contract until 2024.
The decision for a new deal in 2025 now lies in the hands of the driver himself, but it’s evident that he will need to make significant progress. Even Perez himself acknowledges that a major leap forward is necessary.
“I aspire to establish consistency and gain momentum,” he shared with AutoHebdo. “I believe that what we lacked this year was continuous improvement.
“We began the year on a high note, neck and neck with Max, but unfortunately, we couldn’t maintain that progress throughout the season. In fact, there were instances where we even took a step back.
“Therefore, my utmost priority will be to ensure progress throughout the entire season, regardless of my initial position. It’s crucial that we keep evolving and enhancing our performance weekend after weekend.”
Perez firmly believes that he can utilize the valuable lessons learned from last season to elevate his performance this year.
He confessed, “I experienced a couple of rough weekends. Initially, we had a fantastic start to the year with impressive performances in the first five or six races. However, we faced difficulties in making further advancements with the car.
“This is an area where I feel I lacked and I am determined to make significant improvements.
“The challenges we encountered this year provided me with valuable insights into my approach towards adjusting the settings and configuring the car. It helped me understand the right direction to take when faced with problems. Undoubtedly, this newfound knowledge will contribute to our enhanced performance in the upcoming year.”
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