After a series of poor finishes in Formula 1, Sergio Perez has “no doubt” that he will improve his record with Red Bull.
Perez joined Red Bull for the 2021 season as a replacement for Alexander Albon, and in Azerbaijan, he became the first driver other than Max Verstappen to win a race for the team since 2018.
However, the Mexican driver has only scored points in three of the last six races, finishing sixth at the Italian Grand Prix.
Perez’s 16 points since Silverstone are equal with Williams’ George Russell and just over a fourth of Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas’ 59 points total.
With seven races remaining this season, Mercedes has a 33-point advantage over Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.
Perez made it clear during the Russian Grand Prix weekend that he would not allow the recurring setbacks to “break me down,” despite having faced similar adversity in the past.
Albon and his predecessor, Pierre Gasly, failed to drive Red Bull’s car in recent years, whereas Verstappen’s aggressive driving style matches the RB16B chassis better.
The regulations in 2022 are likely to ease some of the traits that have made the Red Bull so difficult to drive, allowing Perez to start fresh and develop at the same pace as teammate Verstappen.
“No, not at all, there’s still a long way to go,” Perez said when asked if he was not looking to simply get the 2021 season done before getting his hands on the new Red Bull car. “I’ve been in this position before, and I will turn things around, I have no doubt.
“There’s still races to go and every weekend it can flip around so no, not at all. I’m looking forward for the rest of the year. We are in a big battle in the constructors and it can flip either way, any weekend.”
Despite the lack of results in recent races, Perez felt his pace had taken a step forward over that period, but required everything to come together to get a breakthrough result.
“I think the pace has improved quite a bit in the last few weekends,” Perez said. “We just have to make sure we get the final bit together to be able to transform the results.
“We’ve done it before and I’m sure we can do this. I have full belief in the team. There’s still a long way to go.”
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