The Mexican driver is confident about his future at the championship winning team, in spite of the significant drop in his performance as of lately.
His last victory dates back to Azerbaijan in 2023, 15 months ago. Pérez hasn’t been on the podium either in the last 8 rounds of the current season. Only last week in Hungary he crashed out during Qualifying, not making it out of Q1.
The former Racing Point driver did manage to still score points on Sunday, ending up in P7 following a strong recovery drive. However, is it enough for the Bulls to stay in the battle for the team’s title, especially considering the consistency displayed over the past weeks by McLaren?
The 34-year-old discussed how important would it be for him to have a clean weekend in Spa after his shunt, focusing on the importance of maximising the points at this delicate moment of the season with McLaren having all the momentum against Red Bull right now.
Pérez has also slipped to P7 in the Drivers’ Championship after running in P2 earlier in the campaign.
“It’s no different to what it was in Hungary, or in Bahrain, or how it will be in Zandvoort or the rest of the year.
“Every single weekend we’ve got to deliver the maximum, especially now that with McLaren catching up in the constructors, it’s really important to put everything together weekend after weekend.”
Asked about his future, and more precisely if he was completely sure that Spa wasn’t going to be his start for Red Bull, Pérez confirmed confidently: ”Yes, correct.”
He returned later to the topic, expanding on the reasons behind the fact that he is certain he will remain in the car come Zandvoort.
“Because I know basically what’s in my contract and I know that the team trusts in me. And I know where is the main focus, which is on delivering on track.”
Following the latest interview given by Red Bull’s senior advisor Helmut Marko, in which he had less than kind words for the “unpredictable” and “up and down” Pérez, the 6-time race winner was not too bothered about it, emphasising their efforts to focus on returning to the front.
“I haven’t spoken about that particular point, I think. Like I said, I feel like the whole team is fully focused on getting back on track, on getting our season back on track. The rest is pure speculation.
“The team is really working hard with me to get the season back on track. Winning the Constructors’ Championship, it’s all what we are working on. There hasn’t been any further discussions than getting our season back on track.”
Pérez prefers to completely devote himself to his on track performance, in order to try and help Max Verstappen in both championships.
“Like I said, it’s how this team operates. It’s how it is and I’m fine with it. I focus on the team, I’m focused within the team to get the maximum out of the team, out of the car. The rest, like I said, is pure speculation.
“I’m not worried about it. Like I said, I know where I stand. That’s not my concern. My only concern I have is to get my season back on track. The rest, I’m pretty chilled about,” he concluded calmly, excited for the weekend ahead and the chance he has to prove his worth.
