MEXICO CITY (AP) — By his own assessment, this Formula 1 season has been a massive disappointment for Sergio Perez.
But if there's one place for him to turn it around, it would be at his home race, the Mexico City Grand Prix, which he considers the best event on the F1 circuit.
“I know I’ve had a terrible season, a very difficult one,” Perez said Thursday. “If I can get a strong result, it can change my season massively.”
Change it enough to save his job at Red Bull? That remains to be seen.
Sure, Perez signed a two-year contract extension in June to remain with Red Bull through 2026. But even so, few believe he's got a firm hold on his seat and could be replaced at the whim of Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko.
Red Bull has admitted the new contract contains performance clauses, and Marko has constantly kept Perez in the rumor mill by openly praising younger drivers. His most recent flattery was for McLaren rising star Oscar Piastri, who quickly dismissed Marko on Thursday: “It wouldn't be a week in F1 without some comments from Helmut.”
Yuki Tsunoda acknowledged Thursday he's still hoping for a promotion to Red Bull from sister team RB, and Liam Lawson, who officially replaced Daniel Ricciardo at RB last week, is trying to show he deserves a full-time seat. Lawson was ninth last week in Austin, Texas.
Perez hasn't helped his case with his own performance. He's winless for the first time since joining Red Bull in 2021, has only four podium finishes this year and is eighth in the driver standings. Perez has also crashed three times, which has played a role in Red Bull allowing McLaren to pass the team for the lead in the constructors' championship race.
His downfall came after a strong start to the year in which he claimed four podium finishes in the opening five races. He's now gone 14 races without a podium.
“Momentum in Formula 1 is very important, you just put the car on track and you know everything is working and you are so further ahead of the people who put the car on track and have a lot of problems,” Perez said. “I think it’s the same for everyone. But I also know how this sport works and it’s all about your last race."
Now he's hoping for a repeat of 2021 and 2022 when Perez podiumed in both years at Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez. His 2021 finish made him the first Mexican driver to podium at the event, and Perez celebrated by bringing his son with him to collect the trophy.
“I think that moment will stay with me forever, having my son up there with me on the podium watching me,” he said. “It’s something that I hope he remembers forever, if not I have the picture, at least, to show him when he’s old, you know? Those moments, I think it’s the ones that really matter to me, and I hope I can repeat that one this weekend.”
To do so, he'll have to avoid a performance like the one he had last season, when Perez collided with Charles Leclerc on the opening lap to end his race immediately. But he's moved past that and is focused only on helping Red Bull and turning around his own season.
“I think this is Formula 1 — sometimes the results are not coming, and you just have to make sure you keep your head down, you focus on the stuff that you can control and the rest is something that you cannot get bothered with,” Perez said. “I feel that I’m in the same boat as the team. We found a big issue in Monza, and after Monza we’re heading the right direction.”
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