Sergio Perez will begin the Chinese Grand Prix just behind his teammate Max Verstappen as Red Bull has secured the front row.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez (via IMAGO)
The impressive performance of Red Bull Racing in the 2024 season has garnered significant attention, with Perez closely following in second place. The Mexican driver showed great potential to potentially outperform the reigning world champion but was unable to secure pole position due to some mistakes. As a result, the 34-year-old expressed his disappointment with his subpar performance compared to his Dutch teammate.
In the Sprint race of the event, Perez made a remarkable comeback and finished in third place. However, during the qualifying session for the main race, he faced a close call in Q1 but narrowly escaped elimination. Perez admitted that Q1 was chaotic, and the subsequent session was also challenging. Despite showing promise, he couldn’t match the pace of his competitor.
Furthermore, the dominant performance of the RB20 car was evident at the Chinese Grand Prix. Perez revealed that the team made several adjustments to the car before qualifying to adapt to the track conditions. Therefore, it is expected that the Red Bulls will have a more comfortable finish at the Shanghai circuit during the main race. The 34-year-old also emphasized that starting in second position gives him a good chance to compete for valuable points throughout the race.
Sergio Perez: It was a very intense session, and I was almost eliminated in Q1! The start of qualifying was quite messy, but Q2 was relatively smoother. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to beat Max in the end, but overall, it was a fantastic result for the team.
Sergio Perez’s contract with Red Bull will expire at the end of the 2024 season. Therefore, in order to secure an extension, he needs to deliver results on par with Max Verstappen. It is believed that the 34-year-old is well aware of the importance of his performance in the upcoming season. Consequently, Perez is driving with the goal of securing his future in the pinnacle of motorsport. According to team principal Horner, he has responded to the pressure in the best possible way.
Horner highlighted Perez’s new mindset for the 2024 season, where he is solely focused on his own performance rather than comparing himself to Verstappen. The team principal praised his outstanding performances in the first five races of the season and expressed optimism about his chances of achieving great results in the upcoming race.
The Chinese Grand Prix promises to be an exciting event for Red Bull fans at the Shanghai circuit. McLaren and Ferrari have also been closely monitoring the performance of the team from Milton Keynes. Therefore, the top three teams will provide thrilling racing action at the forefront. It is possible that the 2024 season might witness a new race winner other than Verstappen.