Perez title hopes pinned on physically demanding French GP

Ewan Gale
Wednesday 20 July 2022 20:00

Sergio Perez is aiming to get his championship challenge back on track at the French Grand Prix after retiring from two of the last three races.

The Mexican suffered from Red Bull reliability issues in Canada before finishing second at the British Grand Prix, only to suffer damage from a first-lap collision with Mercedes driver George Russell in Austria.

The issues have left Perez trailing team-mate Max Verstappen by 57 points in the drivers' standings, whilst also allowing Charles Leclerc to jump into second.

"After a tough weekend in Austria, it’s great to be back racing and have a chance to put things right," said Perez.

"We have had two DNFs in the past three races and we can’t afford that in the championships so I’m aiming to change that this weekend in France.

"I’m still in contention for the drivers’ championship, so personally it is also important not to lose any more points."

Perez ready for challenging heatwave

Air temperatures at Paul Ricard are set to hit highs of 35 degrees Celsius this weekend as teams and drivers face the challenges that come with such weather.

Previewing the weekend, Perez explained: "Last year I scored my second podium with the team in France and I am very looking forward to trying to repeat that.

"Paul Ricard is a challenging track because there are different racing lines you can take through the corners and it’s not easy to know which is the best one to use.

"The high temperatures will also be a factor to consider this weekend, physically it looks like it will be a very demanding race and we will have to see how it goes with the tyre degradation because of the heat."