Sergio “Checo” Pérez is facing the opportunity of a lifetime. Car, team and maturity and talent. There is a lot of talk that he can be a good teammate of Max Verstappen at Red Bull, but the Mexican is clear about that, if the car is there for him, his goal is to win the championship, not to finish in the top three. final of Formula 1. one.
interviewed by Zoom From his hotel in Bahrain, where the 2021 F1 season will start on March 28, Checo Pérez did not dare to give an accurate forecast of his performance, because, of course, the real potential of the RB16B, his car, is still uncertain. team compared to other teams.
The 31-year-old from Guadalajara will start his eleventh season at Gran Circo, but for the first time he is in a real position to be considered a title contender, which he accepts.
But he also has intermediate goals to do what he has been doing for many years: to get more points out of the car than his real potential indicates.
“I don’t have a goal for wins or points, etc. It’s hard to put a number, because we don’t know how competitive the car is. But my goal is to make the most of the car I have. If I have a car for “To win the championship, to win it, if I have a car to finish in third place, to finish in second place. To always be one step ahead of the car is my goal,” he said.
– Your 2020 season was the best Mexican in history, what do you think about the opportunity to make more history and maybe improve it and be among the top three?
“It’s a great opportunity. My goal is to win the championship, not be in the top three, this is my highest dream and my biggest goal of my career.” I will fight with everything, it seems that I have a car to make it, so let’s hope I can fulfill them “.
The most important option is always the car, but it will surely be on Saturday, when you will see how close Red Bull and the rest of the dominant Mercedes that won the constructors’ championship seven years in a row are.
– Did Red Bull present the best pre-season car?
“It’s difficult to know at the moment, but I think we will definitely be close to Mercedes. At least that’s the goal, we’ll see him on Sunday and especially on Saturday during qualifying.”
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Red Bull driver Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez sees the biggest difference in tires this year compared to previous seasons.
TIRES ARE KEY
When asked about changes to regulations and cars in 2021 about it, he stressed that tires are the real fine point that will define the season.
“I think some teams have affected us more than others (changes in the aerodynamics of cars on the floor, rear height and cooling system), I think the important factor and that little is said are this year’s tires, comes the problem of grip compared to last year, not so much in terms of aerodynamic tasks, which they took from teams. I think this year’s tires are quite difficult compared to the previous ones “, Sergio Pérez underlined.
Given all this, as Checo is probably the best tire manager in Formula 1 today, Pérez believes he could be a title contender.
“Sooner or later we will have to see it, we will have to see how competitive the car is, but if the car is as competitive as we think, without a doubt (I will be a competitor). I think I have the car and now it’s up to me to maximize it. “