F1 News: Perez advised to take Schumacher lesson by former F1 star

Sergio Perez looks glum — Photo: © IMAGO

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Perez advised to take Schumacher lesson by former F1 star

Sergio Perez has struggled for the past couple of years at Red Bull

Originally written by Dan Ripley. This version is a translation.

Sunday 4 February 2024 23:57

Former F1 star Johnny Herbert has claimed that Sergio Perez can learn from his nightmare 2023 season.

Last year's campaign was Perez's most successful to date, but he still spent most of it hounded by questions about his future at Red Bull.

But with just two wins in 22, and the Dutchman taking 19, Perez has been criticised for not getting the most out of the car, having had a similar campaign in 2022 when he finished third overall.

The Mexican is now under huge pressure heading into the 2024 season, which is the final year of his Red Bull contract.

Perez has one job to focus on

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Now three-time grand prix winner Herbert has told Perez that he must block out all the negativity and focus solely on performances after drawing on a similar experience when he was team-mates with Michael Schumacher at Benetton in the mid-1990s.

"In all my negotiations with Benetton, Flavio Briatore told me that Michael Schumacher and I were a team, that we worked together and everyone had access to the same information," Herbert said in quotes via MegaDice.

"When that is there, you feel it and when you feel it that is a hard thing to be able to bat away. As much as Sergio says he ignores it, it does affect you.

"Sergio has got to put himself into a cocoon and deliver every single time with the battering that comes from the media and from within the team on occasion."

Red Bull Sergio Perez Michael Schumacher Johnny Herbert