Perez makes brutal admission about his "terrible" F1 season
Sergio Perez has admitted he has had a "terrible season." The Red Bull driver expressed his difficulties during the 2024 Formula 1 season, which saw him lag behind his teammate Max Verstappen. So much so that Red Bull is now under threat from third-placed Ferrari in the Constructors' Championship.
Perez started the season well. Red Bull secured three one-two finishes out of the first four races. But it suddenly went downhill. The Mexican hasn't been on the podium since race five, the Chinese Grand Prix. Checo has been brutally honest about his own performance ahead of his home race.
"I know I've had a terrible season, a very difficult one," Perez acknowledged ahead of the 20th Grand Prix of the season. "It started really well, but it's been really difficult. For me, if I get a strong result, it can definitely change my season massively in terms of personal feelings. So I'm really up for it."
Perez has stood on the podium in Mexico before, and his son watched alongside. "I think that moment will stay with me forever, having my son up there with me on the podium watching me. It's something that I hope he remembers forever. If not, I'll have the picture at least to show him when he's old. Those moments are the ones that really matter to me, and I hope I can repeat that one this weekend."
Perez on momentum in Formula One
Perez struggled again last week in the United States. "I think momentum in Formula 1 is very important. When you just put the car on track and you know that everything is working and you are so further ahead of the people that put the car on track and have a lot of problems. I think it's the same for everyone. But I also know how these sports work, and it's all about your last race. My season can definitely take a U-turn," Perez said.
"The most important is that we are able to find this, to feel comfortable with the car, which at the moment we are just not able to unlock the full potential of the car. We come to the weekends trying a lot of things, different things every weekend, so it makes just the whole Grand Prix a lot more difficult," Perez concluded.
Future at Red Bull
Perez is contracted to drive for Red Bull during the 2025 season, but there is doubt about that. "I feel that I am in the same boat as a team. We're working towards solving it. We found a big issue in Monza, so after Monza, we thought we were finding directions. So we're heading in the right direction. I think this is Formula 1. Sometimes the results are not coming and you just have to make sure you keep your head down, you focus on the stuff that you can control, and the rest is something that you cannot get bothered with," he concluded.
This article has been created in collaboration with Corwin Kunst