Sergio Perez praises Red Bull’s daring approach with the RB20, a significant departure from last year’s dominant RB19, showcasing the team’s drive to innovate and push limits.
Sergio Perez is convinced that Red Bull could have relied more on its laurels and released an F1 car that was merely an evolution of the RB19. According to the Mexican driver, it’s bold for the team to attempt something so different from what was done on the predecessor, the new RB20.
“It shows the hunger we have. We had such a dominant car last year that you certainly wouldn’t expect us to change the concept so drastically,” Perez stated.
“I think it’s really brave of Red Bull. It demonstrates how much this team is looking to move forward and push all the boundaries, which is great to see.”
“I believe we’ve made some good steps forward and it will be interesting to see what we can do in the coming weeks. I think it’s very important that we have a solid base and that we can develop it throughout the season with the team.”
Aiming to “be at my best level” in 2024
Over the winter, Perez has honed his preparation to surpass his performance in 2023: “I feel refreshed. And obviously, with last year’s experience, it’s very important that we learn what didn’t work and that we learn from our mistakes. I think we’ve understood a lot.”
“This is my fourth year with Red Bull and I expect to be at my best level this season. For 2024, I’ve tried to have the best overall understanding of the directions the team has taken with this car and where we’ve been with the car.”
“This is something we’ve worked very hard to understand, which direction we’ve pushed. We started last year very strong, but we didn’t really progress throughout the year.”
“It’s something to be aware of, to make the right steps in the right direction. Last year, I sometimes lacked self-confidence. It’s important to develop it throughout the season, nibbling away at it every weekend.”
Verstappen is “a benchmark” but not more
Even though Max Verstappen is his main rival and naturally a benchmark for him internally, Perez refuses to focus solely on what his teammate is doing: “Yes, absolutely, I’m focusing on myself. I have a great reference in Max.”
“I stay open, with an open approach, you know, there’s no magic solution that’s right or wrong. It’s simply about staying open throughout the season and making sure we’re on the right track to have a good pace, then developing from there.”
“I think there’s more to it, as we’ve had some issues during the car’s development. The way we’ve tried to address these issues ended up compromising the car’s performance without necessarily speeding it up. Making the car more comfortable doesn’t necessarily mean it’s faster.”
Being under threat “is part of the job”
With his contract ending in 2024, Perez knows he needs to demonstrate he deserves to stay in F1. But having been in the sport since 2011, he’s not surprised his position is being questioned: “To be honest, when you’ve been in this business for so long, you know how it works.”
“It doesn’t bother me. I think it’s part of the job. I’m without a contract for next year, people know that. But to be honest, it’s not the priority. I know that if we have a good season, if we get good results, there will be a lot of options on the market.”
“My main goal is thus to achieve consistency throughout the season, this development to be able to continue the form we have at the start and to be better race after race.”
“I think if we manage this, we’ll have a good chance of fighting for the championship. I make sure to be able to enjoy it, to have fun, and the rest will take care of itself.”
Perez “is not worried” about 2025
When asked about his thoughts on Lewis Hamilton’s transfer to Ferrari for 2025, the Mexican driver believes it will be interesting to see the impact on the teams: “I think the dynamics will be interesting to watch from the outside.”
“We have a driver changing teams, we don’t know how much the teams are jealous of sharing information, obviously Lewis has spent many years with his team and will bring a lot of knowledge to another team, so there will be an interesting dynamic to watch from the outside.”
Perez, in any case, is not yet thinking about 2025 and hasn’t discussed it with anyone: “I’m sure most drivers will be ready to do things much earlier in the year, but for my part, I’m focused on having a good year, I’m really not worried about it.”
“It’s important for me to see where we start, how we manage, how we evolve. I want to see this develop throughout the season. From my point of view, that’s the priority this year.”
Perez Backs Bold Red Bull Strategy Over RB19 Evolution. Perez Backs Bold Red Bull Strategy Over RB19 Evolution
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