In 2021, the Mexican was primarily a back-up driver to his Red Bull teammate, despite the fact that he was just in his first year with them.
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Sergio Perez does not want to be second to Max Verstappen next season, preferring to compete for his teammate’s championship on his own. In 2021, the Mexican was primarily a back-up driver to his Red Bull teammate, despite the fact that he was just in his first year with the constructor having being hired in to fill a race slot for Alex Albon. Perez, however, has plenty of experience, having raced in Formula One since 2011, and now that he’s settled in with the Red Bull squad after taking some time to adjust to a different environment than he’s used to, he believes a title push is possible.
Of course, what Red Bull would think about it is another story, because Verstappen is very much their main guy, having ended Mercedes’ seven-year domination by grabbing Lewis Hamilton’s title amid a contentious season finale in Abu Dhabi in terms of the FIA’s race administration.
“Next season I want to be in the fight for the World Championship myself,” said Perez during The Edge podcast. “We start with the new rules, with new cars, we all start from zero, so that’s the main thing for me, to get there.”
Of course, the start of the 2022 season will be crucial if Perez, who turns 32 in January, is to have any hope of competing for the Drivers’ championship. He simply cannot afford to lose any early ground, but the manner in which he has merged himself with the team provides some hope that Perez, who won two Grands Prix for Red Bull last season, including Azerbaijan, might make his imprint.
“I’m here because I fully believe I can be a World Champion and because I enjoy working with my team. I’m very thankful to Red Bull for extending my contract,” said Perez.
“I really enjoy working with the team, with this group of people, with the engineers, the Red Bull culture, the brand itself. Red Bull is a huge brand. It’s a lot of work relative to what I was used to at other teams, but I really feel a great part of it. I work great with Max, with the race engineers, with all the team in general. To me, at this stage in my career, I think the most important is that I enjoy it. The time I don’t enjoy it is when I [would] have to go home,” the Mexican added.
