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Perez claims "lack" of upgrades caused struggle at COTA: 'Data is known'
Sergio Perez is hopeful he can compete for victory in the Mexican Grand Prix because of the changes being made to his Red Bull car. The Mexican confirmed he lacked some of the upgrades Max Verstappen got at the United States Grand Prix.
Perez needed a good weekend in the United States, but it didn't come. The Austrian team are now under threat from Ferrari for second-place in the Constructors' Championship but Perez is hopeful it will be different this weekend.
"Austin wasn't a good weekend for us. We did lack some of the upgrades, we basically thought that the new floor wasn't as big as it turned out to be in the end with Max. We had a bit of that, and we just didn't get a good weekend. It wasn't a good weekend where I built a lot of confidence. But Mexico is different. It's a different game. It's a different track. Let's see. We have got some changes here. Hopefully, we can be in the mix for the win," Perez said.
How much slower was he per lap as a result? "The numbers and the facts will remain internal with the team, with the engineers. We know what the delta was," he added.
Red Bull has managed to record a lot of success at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Verstappen has won the last three times and was even successful there during Mercedes' dominant era. But Perez has never won there. "I think we've had good races in the past. We've always been competitive. Every year I've been here with Red Bull, we've always fought for the win, for the podium, so I really hope that we can be at that level this weekend," he added.
Ferrari apply pressure to Perez
In the battle for the constructors' championship, it is important that Perez also starts scoring points in the next five Grands Prix. Ferrari has approached Red Bull and moved within eight points. The Austrian team, who led the championship for much of the season, might finish third.
"I think it doesn't change anything. I think we want to win the constructors, finishing second or third, the end is no difference. So we really want to win it. For that, we need to have both cars with the best possible performance and best possible package as well," he concluded.
This article has been created in collaboration with Corwin Kunst