Sergio Pérez, the season of all dangers: “I always think that I am at my best level”

He will be at the center of attention, criticism (good or bad) and rumors: Sergio Pérez will have an essential role in the transfer market in 2024, a transfer window which will be greatly conditioned by the Mexican's results this season. After a complicated year in 2023, where he suffered from comparison alongside Max Verstappen with more than average performances, “Checo” knows he is in danger at Red Bull. His contract expires at the end of the upcoming campaign, and rumors of a possible replacement for 2025 have been circulating for almost a year.

However, Sergio Pérez ignores the discussions around his future, and remains fully committed to fighting against Max Verstappen and making a cleaner copy in 2024. “Obviously people are aware of the challenge I have to face and it's true: it's a huge challenge, Max is a driver who really gets the most out of you, so it's a big challenge and I'm looking forward to it to be there. This is my fourth season with the team and I'm sure it will be the best.", says the Mexican, who arrived at Red Bull in 2021.

Sergio Pérez feels “still young and motivated”

Sergio Pérez will need to have a more convincing season than in 2023, while the list of his potential replacements is growing with the surprise transfer of Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari in 2025, which turned the market upside down. Daniel Ricciardo et Yuki tsunoda, the two drivers of the newly named Racing Bulls (or RB) team, are best placed to steal the second Red Bull seat if the planets align... but the Mexican declared that he was not done with Red Bull, nor with the F1.

“If we perform well on the track, there will be a lot of opportunities. So this is my main objective and my main motivation for this year: to really perform well., confided Sergio Pérez. I still think I'm at my best, I still have a lot to give, having been part of the Red Bull family for four years. It’s a huge bonus, a big opportunity. I am still young and motivated. So there is still a long way to go. »

During winter testing, Red Bull has impressed and always seems to be one step ahead of the competition. If few people (to say no one…) expect to see him beat Max Verstappen on equal terms, Sergio Pérez will nevertheless have to secure big points every weekend if the Red Bull RB20 is as efficient as it is revealed in Bahrain. If this is the case, the Mexican will have no excuse in 2024!

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