“We were just getting lost weekend in, weekend out” - Sergio Perez explains how his season has ‘transformed’ after Qatar GP

Sergio Perez consolidated second place in the drivers' standings, giving Red Bull its first-ever 1-2 finish in the championship. However, his path to second in the standings has been a roller coaster ride.

Perez kicked off his season in phenomenal fashion, winning two races in the first four rounds, announcing himself as a title contender. However, his form spiraled downwards as he struggled to adapt to the upgraded RB19.

The Mexican had a string of bad qualifying results, often failing to qualify in the top 10. He admitted he got 'lost' with the setup of the car, digging himself into a "deep hole" in Qatar, where finished 80 seconds behind his teammate.

Following the catastrophic weekend, Sergio Perez and the team went back to the drawing board, hoping to find solutions with a three-day simulator session in Milton-Keynes. Perez told Autosport:

"I had a really deep [hole] in Qatar, where I went back to the factory for a week and went through in very much detail with all the engineers and we understood a lot of things that we were doing to compensate the weaknesses that we had. We were probably taking the wrong approach with the car, trying to compensate them too much with car set-up."

He added:

"I felt at that time that I needed it. We were just getting lost weekend in, weekend out, so it was just important to step back and really look in detail. And I think since then our season has transformed completely."

Perez added that the time in the simulator helped him and the team make a breakthrough in the setup for the car and helped them maximize their results in the upcoming races. He stated:

"It was about how I can make better use of the car through the weekend, through different circuits. I made a lot of progress together with my engineers in understanding how to maximize the performance of the car."

Sergio Perez is coming off a third-place finish in Las Vegas heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

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Sergio Perez aims for a sustained title battle in 2024

After having failed to sustain the early season championship charge, Sergio Perez is hoping to win the drivers' championship next season. Perez is aware of the hurdles and hopes to utilize the winter break in preparation for the upcoming season. He was quoted as saying by Motorsport-Total.com:

"I've already got second place [in the standings]. My main goal is to get one place better, and I'm aware of the challenge that that represents. We need to make the most of the winter break to start the season with a good feeling, and maintain this level throughout the entire season."

Since finishing fourth in the drivers' standing in 2021, the Red Bull driver has finished one position higher every season and will be hoping to continue the trend next season.