Sergio Perez claims he’s ‘back to 100%’ and will fight hard for the 2024 F1 world championship

Sergio Perez has had a horrendous 2023 season for the Red Bull F1 team.

Sergio Perez claims he’s ‘back to 100%’ and will fight hard for the 2024 F1 world championship

Sergio Perez and Helmut Marko (via IMAGO)

Sergio Perez, the Red Bull F1 driver, has had a season to forget this year behind the wheel of the RB19. He was easily kept in check by his teammate Max Verstappen, and for this, Perez has come under massive criticism. Japan was another horrendous event for him, but despite his incessant struggles, he has claimed he is back to his best and will challenge Verstappen with all his might next year.

Max Verstappen, the reigning F1 World Champion, has been in red-hot form since the start of the 2023 F1 season. He was a dominant force last year, but when it comes to the ongoing campaign, he has taken his superiority to a new level. The Dutchman’s massive rise has added tons of pressure on Sergio Perez, and under it, the latter has struggled to cope with it.

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While there are several questions regarding whether Perez is the right man to partner Verstappen at Red Bull next year, the former has recently come forward and said ,as reported by Soymotor, “I had a lot of problems in the summer. At first, I was fighting for the title, but from May that changed. I was riding without confidence . At one point, it just wasn’t there… and that was very hard. Being with a top team, the pressure to perform increases quickly.”

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“But I didn’t give up and kept working hard with the engineers to solve things. My self-confidence returned when I realized that I had won races on my own earlier this year. I dare say that I am now back to 100%. And I also have the conviction again that I can have a opportunity to fight for the title next year.” The Mexican ardently feels he’s back to his best and will give the world title fight a serious go in 2024.

Discover: Sergio Perez admits he was “driving without confidence” at one point while trying to fight Max Verstappen for the title

Sergio Perez needs to finish the 2023 F1 season on a strong note

While Sergio Perez has claimed that he’s back to his best, all this is just talk until the time he manages to put in consistent performances. He committed several silly errors during the Grand Prix at the free-flowing Suzuka International Race Course and ultimately ended his exploits with a DNF. Only six races remain in the 2023 season, and he desperately needs to iron out his mistakes.

Sergio Perez
Sergio Perez (Credits: Sky Sports)

The 33-year-old has a plethora of experience when it comes to the pinnacle of motor racing, and considering this, from the upcoming Qatar Grand Prix onwards, he needs to go on a consistent run of performances; if he can do this, then it would definitely keep him in good stead while building up to the 2024 campaign during the winter break.

Sergio Perez is at a top team and has one year remaining on his current Red Bull deal. 2024 is an immensely crucial year for him for several reasons and he really can’t afford to slip up. The lights of Daniel Ricciardo and Co. have their eyes set on his seat for 2025, and if Perez is to make that his seat goes nowhere, he would need to perform at an extremely high level next year.

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