Sergio Perez's redemption road: Overcoming the abyss in Qatar to claim P2
- Rob Fleming
- 5 December 2023
Red Bull's Sergio Perez bared the challenges that haunted him during the late stages of the 2023 Formula 1 season, singling out the Qatar Grand Prix as the low point.
Struggling to find synergy with the RB19, Perez crossed the finish line in Lusail in 10th place, a considerable 80.1 seconds adrift of teammate and World Champion, Max Verstappen. The Grand Prix marked a pivotal moment in a tumultuous period for the Mexican driver, spanning from Japan to Mexico City, where he managed to accrue only 16 points compared to Verstappen's commanding 117.
Rumours swirled about Perez's future with Red Bull, especially with the team publicly stating their ambition for him to secure P2 in the Drivers' Championship. The pressure reached its zenith in Qatar.
Describing the Qatar Grand Prix as "probably my worst weekend ever in the sport," Perez opened up about hitting rock-bottom. He recounted the struggles with the RB19, coupled with frequent infringements of track limits, showcasing the depth of his performance dip.
An introspective Perez admitted, "When you have these back-to-back races, I feel like sometimes there is not enough time to really go through it all, so I felt like we really had to take a bit of time to make sure that we understood which way we were going."
A pivotal turning point came after an intensive debrief with the team preceding the United States Grand Prix. Rallying from the abyss, Perez clinched a runner-up finish, salvaging crucial points.
Addressing the setback, he explained as quoted by Motorsport.com, "Obviously, we had a deficit within the car setup that we were playing around [with] weekend by weekend, and we were just not able to progress through it. But once we managed to get on top of that, we understood a lot of things that we were trying to compensate for, and that just basically meant that we were not doing things right."
Despite the adversity, Perez found a silver lining, emphasizing that the challenging period served to strengthen the team. "It was bad that it happened, but in a way, it was really good because it really strengthened our team quite a lot," he affirmed.
As the dust settles on the 2023 F1 season, teams and drivers now enjoy a well-deserved break, gearing up for the official pre-season testing of the 2024 season. Scheduled at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir from February 23-25, the motorsport world eagerly anticipates the next chapter in the Formula 1 saga.
