In 2023, Sergio Perez entered his third season with Red Bull. Unlike his predecessors, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon, he managed to sustain the cut-throat pressure at the Milton-Keynes-based outfit and is likely to sign another extension that could keep him in the team for the foreseeable future.
With Red Bull projected to have the best car on the grid, it’s expected from him that he ends up being the runner-up this season and give Red Bull their first P1-2 finish in the championship. And Perez believes he is on the right trajectory for it.
The Mexican race driver has revealed he is comfortable with the RB19 (Red Bull’s machinery for 2023). With that, he is looking forward to a promising season for himself after the strong start to the season in Bahrain.
“It’s a great start” 🙂
Sergio Perez reflects on Red Bull picking up a 1-2 on the first race of the season! pic.twitter.com/EgKy6SG8de
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) March 5, 2023
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Sergio Perez is inching closer to Max Verstappen
During the season’s inaugural race, Verstappen seemed like an unstoppable force. On the other hand, Perez also comfortably finished P2, and the 33-year-old admits he couldn’t have done more than that against his teammate in Bahrain.
But he claims that every day, he is inching closer to his teammate and could compete against him once the season progresses. For him, getting comfortable with the car is the key to his improvement with the team.
“I’m comfortable with the car. I’m happy. I think we’ve [still] got some work to do. I think we, both drivers, are pushing the car in the same direction, which is good,” said Perez.
Something Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon failed to achieve
After Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull, Christian Horner had a hard time spotting a strong teammate for Verstappen. They gave a shot to Perre Gasly and Alex Albone, but none of the above drivers managed to settle in and was quickly removed from their duties.
The main reason behind that after Ricciardo left, Red Bull massively prioritized Verstappen. They designed a car heavily oriented to him. And considering he likes to have a very unstable car, neither Gasly nor Albon could settle in it.
Horner takes the blame for appointing them very early in their career. The expectations of Red Bull weren’t fair and affected them dramatically. He feels that’s where Perez takes the edge against the two younger drivers, as the former has experience of more than a decade in F1.
📰: Christian Horner believes that Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon were promoted too early as their lack of experience left them at a disadvantage, unlike Sergio Perez who had the advantage of his experience to draw on.#F1#SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/KgDpXGdmZM
— F1 Naija 🇳🇬 (@f1_naija) March 14, 2023
Also read: Red Bull Boss Christian Horner Unravels Key To Dominate After Impressive 2023 F1 Season Opening
