With only two victories and four second places, despite the superiority of the RB19, Sergio Perez saved himself by maintaining the P2 position in the standings for the entire championship. However, the latest disappointing performances in Singapore and Suzuka have put Perez in a bad light and brought Lewis Hamilton dangerously close, who is now 33 points behind the Mexican in the standings. In Qatar, this weekend the Sprint will return, and therefore a double opportunity to recover precious points. Points that are no longer needed for the constructors' title, which went to Red Bull last race weekend, with Verstappen's victory in Suzuka. However, Perez has one final personal goal, not even being able to fight for the drivers' title anymore, that, barring unforeseen circumstances will be awarded to Max Verstappen this weekend. In fact, the Dutchman is only three points away from his third world title. Let's see Perez's statements ahead of the Sprint weekend in Qatar.
Perez, a season of few highs and too many lows
Perez's has been a season full of ups and downs. Red Bull has dominated the championship since the start of the season. The RB19 has never had a real rival and this has put both drivers in a position to win all the races. And they almost succeeded. In Singapore, Red Bull unexpectedly suffered a heavy blow, and Ferrari was the winner. An exception in a championship that has seen Verstappen and Red Bull breaking record after record. But one of the questions that arises is: would Red Bull have won this title without Verstappen?
Seeing the number of victories obtained by Max and Perez, the hierarchy on the track seems clear. One of the biggest problems for the Mexican concerned qualifying and in general the feeling with the RB19, from the beginning of the developments which did not allow him to fight even on the flying lap. However, we are almost at the end of the season, with 6 races remaining plus three Sprints. The Mexican will necessarily have to return at least to the podium to pull ahead of Hamilton and also consolidate second place in the drivers' standings.
"For me it didn't go well either in Singapore or in Suzuka – admits Perez in the statements at the press conference in Qatar. But we learned very well what went wrong in Japan, then I expect to be in a better position this weekend. We mainly learned which direction to take in terms of set-up, and we understood what went wrong and why we misinterpreted some things. Hopefully we can have a more linear weekend here. "
“The circuit conditions will be different to Suzuka and it will be an interesting weekend as there will only be one free practice session. We will find a track with a speed 2-3 seconds higher with all the sand, it will also be interesting to go to qualifying in the evening. I expect an interesting weekend overall."
Second place goal
Perez's feat may seem easy but there are drivers who have relaunched themselves, including Leclerc, Hamilton, Norris, Sainz. Names that have made the fight for the podium more interesting and that could hinder Perez's rise. Last season the Mexican was unable to keep up with Charles Leclerc in the fight for P2, finishing three points behind. One episode in particular did not please the Mexican last year, during the Brazilian GP where his teammate, fresh from his second world title, did not give up his position. Perez will have to avoid finding himself in a similar situation, knowing the modus operandi of the team which is unlikely to ask Max Verstappen to step aside for Perez.
“It's important for me to finish 2nd in this World Championship because I can't do more at the moment: I think all the riders want to get the best possible result and the best possible season. For me it will be It's important to finish the championship in the right way because it will only be able to help me for the beginning of next year. It will be important to get to the bottom of all the problems and make sure I can express myself at my best in the last six races“ concludes Perez.
Perez statements in Qatar. Source: FormulaPassion
