After playing second fiddle to Max Verstappen for two seasons, Sergio Perez arrived with a new ambition last year. In 2023, he wanted to fight with Verstappen for the title and started nicely, only to fall apart as the season progressed. Despite the difficulties he faced due to his title ambitions last season, Perez aims to challenge his teammate once again.
The Mexican driver had a strong start to the 2024 season. He finished P2 behind Verstappen in Bahrain and looked formidable, not letting any driver get close to him during the race. On the F1: Chequered Flag podcast, Perez spoke about reigniting his title aspirations once again. “Yeah, that’s obviously the main target,” he said.
The RB20 seems to be the strongest car on the grid. So theoretically, Perez can mount up a championship charge, but he has to avoid a repeat of last season. The Guadalajara-born driver started well and was level on points four races into the season. However, mistakes kept piling up from round 5 onwards, and his performances kept getting worse.
Great way to start the season, 1-2 for the team. Now on to Jeddah!
Gran manera de iniciar la temporada, 1-2 para el equipo. ¡Ahora a Yeda!#SP11 pic.twitter.com/zGau1MRkp7
— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) March 3, 2024
In fact, his performances (especially in qualifying) became so bad that rumors of him getting the sack became very strong. However, he received the backing from the Red Bull bosses. Helmut Marko, their team chief insists that all Perez has to do to keep his place is perform like he did in Bahrain.
However, if his aim of challenging for the title comes back to bite him once again, saving his seat could become a lot difficult.
Sergio Perez looking to save his Red Bull seat
Perez managed to hold on to P2 in the standings in 2023, which is what made Red Bull give him another chance. However, he is currently in the final year of his contract. With a plethora of talents, including Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda waiting on the sidelines, Perez needs to do something special to keep his seat.
Second best in the world. Had some rough times this season, but the important thing is we never gave up.
We’ve learned a lot and we’ll come back even stronger in 2024. We achieved everything as a team! Great job @redbullracing !@Max33Verstappen deserves that championship more… pic.twitter.com/ZHU9nrZ25b— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) December 8, 2023
Perez knows that his seat is still under threat from the aforementioned drivers. Starting the season off on a strong note, Perez will be hoping for more of the same in the coming rounds, to put himself in a comfortable position.
