“We never lose faith in each other” - Sergio Perez opens up about his relationship with Red Bull race engineer Hugh Bird

Sergio Perez recently opened up about his strong relationship with his Red Bull race engineer, Hugh Bird. Race engineers are extremely important to drivers, as they are the main members they communicate with during each and every session. Like most drivers, Checo has a good bond with Bird as well.

Speaking about their relationship on the Talking Bulls podcast, Sergio Perez explained how he and Bird have never lost trust in each other and are looking forward to the next challenge. Ever since the Mexican driver joined Red Bull, Hugh Bird has been beside him and has experienced all the ups and downs with Checo, which strengthened their connection.

Perez said:

“We never lose faith in each other, we’re together and we always looking forward to the next target. I think that's something make us very bulletproof because we've had some tough times in our history of three years but we always somehow managed to get out of it with a lot of success, so I think it's a good dynamic in that regard.”

Even though Sergio Perez has not been able to win any drivers' world titles, he was a key player in Red Bull's constructors' victories in both 2021 and 2022. Despite a recent slump in 2023, he and his race engineer still have eyes set on the future.

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Sergio Perez hints at nationality bias in F1

Sergio Perez recently pointed out how George Russell's crash in Singapore was hardly covered by the media, but it would have been the opposite if he had crashed.

He explained how there were not many reports of how the Mercedes driver crashed and retired from third place on the last lap. On the other hand, if he had crashed, loads of media outlets would have covered the news and put unwanted external pressure on him. He further felt that this was somewhat of a nationality bias.

“We saw it with Russell. He crashed from third place on the last lap, but you don’t hear anyone talking about it. If something like that happens at Red Bull, you immediately have three hundred media channels on your roof telling you that you have to leave,” Perez told Spanish publication Marca.

“This kind of thing happens often in Formula 1 and that’s how it works in a team environment. Also, I have the feeling that the fact that I am Mexican also has a big influence,” he added.

Sergio Perez is currently second in the drivers' championship with 223 points, but is being chased by Lewis Hamilton, who has 190 points.