Red Bull driver Sergio Perez is hoping for a breakthrough in the 2024 Formula 1 season and explains why he can be a candidate for victory in Las Vegas
In the final phase of the 2024 Formula 1 season, Red Bull driver Sergio Perez needs a sense of achievement. All the more so because he has not achieved another top-3 finish since his six podium finishes in the first seven races. After fourth place in the Miami Grand Prix, sixth place in Zandvoort was the highest he could manage. Is Perez perhaps even driving for his continued employment next year?
The Mexican is very confident ahead of the third-to-last weekend of the season in Las Vegas and says, “At the end of the day, the team knows exactly what it has in me. The team has so much information. There is also a reason why I was given a contract extension during the season.”
Perez does not comment on the fact that the politically difficult situation in the team and Perez’s financially strong sponsors may have contributed to this contract extension. He does not elaborate on his point, but does comment on the fact that his 2024 season was “pretty difficult in a lot of ways”.
“We started the year extremely well, but then a rather difficult phase followed. But that’s part of motorsport,” says Perez. ”Hopefully we can end the season on a high. In any case, we should be in a better position than we were in Sao Paulo, for example.”
At the most recent Formula 1 race a few weeks ago, Perez’s teammate Max Verstappen achieved the first Red Bull victory in months. Perez himself came in eleventh and scored no points. Now he says: “My result there doesn’t do justice to my true strength. That makes me feel confident. And with the other underbody, I hope to be in the mix this weekend.”
Technical tie between Verstappen and Perez
Different underbody? Yes, exactly: Perez has contested some of the most recent races with different material than Verstappen. “As far as I know, I’ll be getting the same specification as Max from the previous races this weekend,” says Perez. That’s another reason why he’s counting on himself in Las Vegas.
But the street race in the gambler’s metropolis won’t be a walk in the park: “Temperatures are the biggest issue,” says Perez. “Getting the tires up to temperature is key, and that’s going to be pretty tricky for balance, especially over a single lap. Graining is also important. In 2023, it was really bad on mediums and softs.”
Ferrari in particular mastered this well in 2023 and was also “fast on a lap”. That’s why he has Ferrari on his radar, says Perez. “And over a lap, McLaren is the team to beat this year. McLaren will be strong too.”
Can Red Bull stand up to that? “I think so,” says Perez. He again refers to the Las Vegas premiere a year ago: “We were pretty strong there, especially in the race. That’s why I think we’ll get back into our stride.”
“Baku was also quite strong, so I expect we can fight for the win. And that would be important for the constructors’ championship.”
Partly due to Perez’s weak results, Red Bull has fallen back from first to third place in this overall ranking. However, if Perez does start to improve, it is possible that more than just third place behind McLaren and Ferrari is possible.
In any case, Perez expects a lively race: “Overtaking is much easier at this track than at other circuits where we have long DRS zones. Last year’s race was pretty entertaining. I expect it to be the same this time around.”
