Last weekend in Singapore, Sergio Perez won his fourth Grand Prix victory, the second of the season. It is probably the tree that hides the forest for the Mexican, who brilliantly fulfills his role as number 2 for Red Bull by constantly evolving at the forefront but who only very rarely rises to the level of his formidable teammate. Max Verstappen.
With 106 points behind Verstappen and “only” eight podiums this season, Pérez has been subject to criticism which, according to him, is not unrelated to his identity. “During a bad race or a somewhat complicated period, we sometimes see that the Latin drivers are a little more criticized, even though it’s only been a few races”he believes. “It’s not like the year is over. You see with other riders that they have similar issues and you hardly talk regarding it. I’ve had that feeling throughout my career, and I think it was worth pointing out.”
Did Pérez feel prejudice, even persecution, upon his arrival in Europe, at the start of his career? “No, actually, nothing like that”replies the interested party. “But I find that sometimes you’re not taken seriously. Sometimes people say, ‘He’s just Mexican and he’s lazy, that’s his culture, etc’. Just because you’re Mexican , we wouldn’t be able to compete with the best in the world. I felt that sometimes, especially in the first years. But at the same time, it’s always nice to prove that everyone can do it.”
Anyway, this victory in Singapore – admittedly facilitated by the misfortunes of Max Verstappen – is a welcome twist for Pérez, who had made an effective start to the season with 129 points in the first eight Grands Prix but did not have any. scored just 81 in the next eight. He lamented the fact that the RB18 moves away from its preferences in terms of behavior, a phenomenon that the team had recognized.
“With my engineers, we worked very hard during the break”explains the Red Bull driver regarding the three weeks that separated Monza from Singapore. “I went to the factory, we stayed in touch almost every day, we exchanged e-mails, we went through a few things to really get to the bottom of it. I think we have come to understand what that had changed, how to regain the competitiveness that we had at the start of the season.”
Interview by Ronald Vording
