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Sergio Perez believes Ferrari are still faster than Red Bull in the 2022 F1 season and his team needs to keep pushing if they want to win the world championships.
The Milton Keynes-based outfit currently has a solid lead over Ferrari in the World Constructors' Championship with nine rounds of racing left this year. Meanwhile, Perez's teammate Max Verstappen leads Charles Leclerc by 80 points in the fight for the Drivers' title.
Sergio Perez has not been as fortunate as the defending world champion. He was within 15 points of Max Verstappen after winning the 2022 F1 Monaco GP. Since then, however, his potential title charge has been derailed.
In the last six races he has run this year, the Mexican has had two podiums and two DNFs. The 32-year-old was also jostled off the podium in France and Hungary just before the start of the summer break.
In an interview with Motorsport, Perez opened up about his season so far. He said:
“I think it’s been a very good first half of the season, very complete, putting good races together, good results, of course good consistency. I think it’s there, and everything is open on the championship. We have to keep pushing. Ferrari has been a bit faster than us in the last couple of races, so we just have to keep pushing hard. Anything can happen.”
The 32-year-old added:
“I think after we return, the season will get underway very quickly, so we will see after three or four races after the summer break where everything is at. Hopefully by then, I will have been able to close the gap.”
Sergio Perez is the perfect teammate for Max Verstappen, feels Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko
Sergio Perez is the perfect teammate for Max Verstappen at Red Bull, according to Dr. Helmut Marko.
Marko is an advisor to the Red Bull team and is also the person helming its junior program with drivers in lower formulae.
The veteran Austrian saw the rise of Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull before the eventual arrival of a teenage Max Verstappen. The prodigy's talents were such that other drivers found it difficult to stay on the same team as the Dutchman or live up to his ever-growing standards.
Ricciardo made way for Pierre Gasly in 2019, who stepped aside for Alex Albon six months into his tenure. Albon, too, was unable to live up to expectations during his 18 months with the team. That is when Marko and Red Bull chose to change their approach by entering the driver market as opposed to promoting from within.
In an interview with the Red Bull Bulletin, the 79-year-old looked back on the decision to sign 'Checo' Perez after the Mexican was left without a drive at Racing Point (now Aston Martin F1) at the end of 2020. He said:
“Max [Verstappen] can drive any car fast. That’s why having Sergio Pérez as his teammate is perfect. Checo doesn’t try to fight but does everything he can, and that can lead to victory as it did in Baku last season. The two work very well together.”
The truth behind Marko's assessment can be easily deduced from the stats. Red Bull have more wins, podium places, and overall points with the current Max Verstappen-Sergio Perez partnership than they ever did with either Ricciardo, Gasly, or Albon.
With Perez, Red Bull have finally managed to get a driver who can perform close to Verstappen's level without crumbling under the pressure that comes with the territory.
