Perez confident: 'I want to be on the podium again this weekend'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Sergio Perez looked set to claim his third podium of the season in Russia, but a late switch to intermediates literally ruined his chances. The Red Bull Racing driver finished ninth. The Mexican is taking confidence from the speed in Sochi.
Going all out
In Red Bull Racing's preview, Perez said he was pleased with his speed at the Russian Grand Prix, where he even briefly led the race. "I have a lot of confidence in this car. I think we've been showing good speed recently, but I know that we need to do everything we can to get the car in the right place on the grid. We need to score a lot of points so that at the end of the season we are where we want to be in the championship."
Perez has spent a lot of time at the factory since Russia. "We've done a lot of work to analyse what went wrong and what went right and where we can improve. I also spent some more time on the simulator leading up to Turkey, so we've done some pretty intensive homework for this weekend." Perez is therefore hopeful of finishing the season strongly. "We perform well on track, but now we need to show that with our results on Sunday. I want to be on the podium again this weekend."
No Japan Grand Prix
Like Max Verstappen, Perez also regrets that the Japan Grand Prix cannot take place this weekend. "It would be something very special to race there with a Honda engine, but instead we want to give the fans watching in Japan a great result this weekend, in their honour." Red Bull Racing will also drive a special Honda livery this weekend.
Honda is stepping out of Formula 1 after this season, but Perez is happy he was able to work with the Japanese marque for that final year. "I am very impressed with Honda and I am very proud to be part of such a historic brand. I love the Japanese culture and the way the team works at Honda. As soon as you speak to someone there, they immediately go to work on your ideas. They are an inspiring organization to work with."