Sergio Perez aims for pole position and win in Formula 1's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
- Rob Fleming
- 17 March 2023
Red Bull driver Sergio Perez is looking to make amends for his disappointment at last year's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix by securing pole position and winning the race this weekend.
Speaking at the pre-event press conference, Perez expressed his desire to set the record straight and come out on top in Jeddah.
"That's certainly my target; to try to be on pole position and try to win the race," said Perez, who took his first and only F1 pole position in last year's event.
Perez's team-mate Max Verstappen won the season opener in Bahrain, leading from pole position. However, Perez believed that the unique characteristics of the Bahrain circuit contributed to Red Bull's dominant performance, and that other teams will be much closer at Jeddah.
"I think it's a really different circuit here. The requirements are very different, the degradation is not as severe as Bahrain," said Perez.
"We certainly believe that the Ferraris will be pretty strong around this place. So certainly, Aston Martin, Mercedes are going to be a lot closer to us because the requirements are very different."
Perez's hopes of winning last year's race were dashed by a crash involving Nicholas Latifi, which resulted in the deployment of the Safety Car and allowed several drivers to make a cheap pit stop, vaulting them ahead of Perez.
However, the Mexican driver remained confident and determined to perform at his best this weekend.
"I'm looking forward to a great weekend. It's a very exciting circuit. I think there's a great opportunity for us as a team to do well, and hopefully, we can achieve that," Perez said.
With the competition heating up in the 2023 Formula 1 season, it remains to be seen if Red Bull can maintain their dominance or if other teams will start to catch up.
