Perez confident that Red Bull's 'gap to the competition has closed'
F1 News
Sergio Perez believes that the gap between Red Bull Racing and the rest of the grid has now closed as they come to the Marina Bay Circuit for the Singapore Grand Prix. After the Mexican's performance at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last weekend, outpacing Max Verstappen at every opportunity, he now is confident that the RB20 has greatly improved based on the performance of his car in Baku.
The regression of Red Bull has been a major talking point in the 2024 Formula 1 season. Since the Miami Grand Prix, the performance of the Austrian team just vanished after another dominant start to the season. Perez continually struggled and had many Q1 exits to his name, and even Verstappen started to have some issues with his car, as he now searches for his first win since the Spanish Grand Prix earlier in the season.
However, Red Bull bought Baku a big floor upgrade, and there was hope that this would change their fortunes and make a difference. Verstappen's poor setup choice in qualifying meant he could not fight at the front. But Perez's performance shifted dramatically. He was back at the front, battling for the lead before a late crash with Carlos Sainz ruined his chances.
Perez positive about Red Bull Racing's chances
With this newfound pace that the RB20 looks to have, the Mexican hopes he and his team can recover in Singapore, despite a poor result in 2023: "I think we've got a good momentum in Baku. I think we definitely were in the mix for the win. We had the pace to win."
And the optimism from Perez continued, now believing that the gap between McLaren and Red Bull is closer once again: "I think now we have closed up the gap and hopefully we can confirm that in a different track and different layout. And if we are able to do that, I think our season can still get back on track. So we are looking forward to it."
This article was created in collaboration with Cas van de Kleut
Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels!