Sergio Perez will start the Chinese Grand Prix just behind his teammate Max Verstappen, as Red Bull secured the front row.
The impressive performance of Red Bull Racing in the 2024 season has received significant attention, with Perez closely following in second place. The Mexican driver has shown great potential to surpass the current world champion, but failed to secure pole position due to some errors. As a result, the 34-year-old driver expressed his disappointment with his below-average performance compared to his Dutch teammate.
In the Sprint race of the event, Perez made an incredible recovery and finished in third place. However, during the qualifying session for the main race, he faced a tense moment in Q1, but narrowly escaped elimination. Perez admitted that Q1 was chaotic and that the subsequent session was also challenging. Despite showing promise, he couldn’t keep up with the pace of his competitor.
Furthermore, the dominant performance of the RB20 car was evident in the Chinese Grand Prix. Perez revealed that the team made several adjustments to the car before qualifying to adapt to the track conditions. Therefore, it is expected that the Red Bulls will have a smoother ending at the Shanghai circuit during the main race. The 34-year-old driver also emphasized that starting in second position gives him a good chance to compete for valuable points throughout the race.
Sergio Perez: It was a very intense session and I almost got eliminated in Q1! The start of qualifying was quite messy, but Q2 was relatively calmer. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to beat Max in the end, but overall, it was a fantastic result for the team.
The contract of Sergio Perez with Red Bull will expire at the end of the 2024 season. Therefore, in order to secure an extension, he needs to deliver results equivalent to those of Max Verstappen. It is believed that the 34-year-old driver is well aware of the importance of his performance in the upcoming season. Consequently, Perez is driving with the goal of securing his future in the pinnacle of motorsport. According to team principal Horner, he has been responding to the pressure in the best possible way.
Horner highlighted Perez’s new mindset for the 2024 season, where he is focused solely on his own performance rather than comparing himself to Verstappen. The team principal praised his exceptional performances in the first five races of the season and expressed optimism about his chances of achieving great results in the next race.
The Chinese Grand Prix promises to be an exciting event for Red Bull fans at the Shanghai circuit. McLaren and Ferrari have also been closely monitoring the performance of the Milton Keynes team. Therefore, the three top teams will provide thrilling action at the front. It is possible that the 2024 season could witness a new race winner other than Verstappen.
