Sergio Perez bullish over Red Bull chances despite 'wrong direction' dig

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Perez bullish over Red Bull chances despite 'wrong direction' dig

The Mexican is gearing up for his home race next weekend

Jay Winter

Wednesday 25 October 2023 09:57

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez is brimming with optimism as he anticipates his home Grand Prix in Mexico - but admitted his team took a wrong turn last time out.

Perez's improved mood follows a fourth-place finish at the United States Grand Prix, where he benefitted from Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton's P2 disqualification.

Speaking about the Mexican Grand Prix, Perez emphasised its significance.

"It's my most important weekend coming up," said the 33-year-old.

"I'm really looking forward to it."

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Sergio Perez claimed P4 at the United States Grand Prix, his highest finish since the Italian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were disqualified from the US GP after the race had concluded

Checo will be looking to impress his home crowd at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez

Looking on the bright side

Perez's optimism about the race on his home turf is fueled by his solid performance at the Circuit of the Americas.

"At times I had very good pace," Perez noted.

"But we're still lacking that consistency. I think we know what we did wrong on the weekend, so we are really optimistic going into future races. Hopefully, we can improve that."

When asked if he is starting to get to grips with his RB19, the Mexican responded, "Yes, I am. I think we did very good steps.

"Unfortunately, we didn't get to show it because we took a bit of a wrong direction on the setup, given that it was a sprint race.

"But I'm still very optimistic for Mexico. We know what direction we need to take, so hopefully, we get to show that."

The FIA's decision to disqualify Hamilton after the US Grand Prix is a vital break of luck for Perez as he looks to secure P2 in the drivers' championship and help Red Bull deliver their first ever 1-2 in the constructors' championship.

Perez has now stretched his lead over Hamilton to 29 points.