After the first two rounds of the 2024 season, Sergio Perez sits second in the driver’s standings with two P2 finishes behind his teammate Max Verstappen who emerged victorious in both. However, despite Red Bull’s challenger, the RB20, being an almost perfect race car in terms of performance, Perez has expressed his concerns about the car not being to his liking or comfort.
Perez told RacingNews365.com (as quoted by Soymotor.com), “At the moment, the car is not very comfortable for me.”
Even in the past, the Guadalajara-born driver was very vocal about how he has struggled to adapt to the RB19 and the RB18. Since joining Red Bull, Verstappen has completely dominated him and the fact that the car does not suit him adds to his problems.
.@SChecoPerez‘s charge to P2 in 2022 ⚔️#F1 || #AusGP pic.twitter.com/NrLMZoJfGd
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) March 16, 2024
Perez admits that there is work to be done on his end to understand the car more. However, taking the last few years into account, he feels that it is more important to understand how to maximize its performance. For the 34-year-old this is very crucial, especially because he entered the season in danger of losing his seat. If he continues with his good performances in the coming races, his place at Red Bull will be much more secure, allowing him to fully focus on driving.
Sergio Perez driving to save Red Bull future
Perez had a torrid season last year. After showing promise early, his form faltered, and mid-way into the season, he was on the verge of getting the sack. Securing P2 in the driver’s standings saved his seat for at least one more year – albeit he finished a staggering 290 points adrift of his teammate, Verstappen.
Perez came into the 2024 season knowing that P2 would be the bare minimum benchmark for him. So far he looks like he is on track. However, if he falters, Red Bull has replacements lined up. V-CARB’s Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda, along with Liam Lawson are all waiting for the coveted Red Bull seat.
️ | Sergio Perez comments on Ricciardo potentially being in the running for a 2025 Red Bull seat
“I’ve been in F1 for 13 years so I’m not a guy who thinks so much further ahead, I’ve been with the engineers, I don’t even have the time to discuss what’s going on with Daniel. I… pic.twitter.com/DecMbW64zO
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) July 20, 2023
That being said, if he can continue and keep up the results he’s shown at the first two races this year then, the Red Bull will have no reason to look beyond Perez.
