After Regaining His Fighting Spirit in Austria, Sergio Perez Fires a Warning Shot at Max Verstappen With Eyes Set on Top Spot Again

The last time Sergio Perez came close to winning a race was at the Miami GP, the fifth race of the season. Coincidentally, that was also the last time he out-qualified Max Verstappen, led a race, and, well, had a smooth weekend. Since then, he hasn’t made it to the top-10 shootout in qualifying even once, let alone come close to out-qualifying Verstappen. But coming into the British GP this weekend, he looks to make amends.

A week ago in Austria, the Mexican qualified in P15 after multiple laps were deleted for exceeding track limits. But during the race on Sunday, he channeled the Checo that impressed Red Bull in 2020, the one who fought back from last to first at the Sakhir GP in a Racing Point. After starting fifteenth, he fought his way through the field, ensuring he stayed within track limits, and finished third and on the podium. And now that he’s got his mojo back, he is coming for Verstappen.

Sergio Perez will be fighting for pole at Silverstone

After his fight back in Austria and the confidence that gave him, Perez is fired up as F1 returns to the home of racing—The British GP at Silverstone. Considering how cars that do well in Austria usually do well at Silverstone, too, Red Bull might look to continue its winning streak. And Checo is looking forward to carrying forward the momentum he gained at Red Bull’s home race. His renewed spirit reflects in his thoughts that can be deemed as a tussle warning for Verstappen.

After Friday running, where he finished second in FP1 and fourth in FP2 (albeit behind Verstappen in both sessions), he seems comfortable in the car. While talking to the media, as quoted by formulapassion.it, he said, “The car is good, we made good progress between the two sessions, I’m satisfied. I hope we can take another step forward tomorrow: fighting for pole would be ideal.“

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Verstappen has taken five consecutive poles after Perez’s pole in Miami. And as qualifying looms over Silverstone, Checo looks to break that streak and overturn his qualifying form. Given that he has a better handle on the car this weekend and how well the RB19 is doing at the track, Perez believes he’s a strong contender for pole. After running Pirelli’s new tires and Red Bull’s expertise in analyzing changes, Perez looks forward to a strong weekend for the Milton-Keynes outfit.

Sergio Perez is confident about his performance on the new tires

Pirelli introduced stronger tires at the British GP that teams will use throughout the season. These newer tires were introduced because the cars this season have developed faster than Pirelli expected and are generating downforce that Pirelli thought would only be possible toward the end of the season. While discussing the new tires, Perez said, “It was a very interesting day, we tested the new tires. We’ve learned a lot about their behavior, it’s been very interesting, and I think tonight is going to be very long because we need to keep figuring out how to make the most of them.”

He continued, “I think it’s mostly about mastering the tires, making sure you have the right out-lap, which is very critical here. And I think if we can manage that, then we have a good outlook for qualifying and, likewise, for the race.” Perez is known to be a master when it comes to treating his tires and managing them. Needless to say, he’s looking forward to the challenge that awaits.

Will Sergio Perez be able to challenge Verstappen this weekend?

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