“It's my biggest dream”: Sergio Perez shares what victory in F1 Mexican Grand Prix would mean for the Red Bull driver
Sergio Perez recently shared how much it would mean to him to win in his home country — Mexico. Despite being the most successful Mexican F1 driver in history, he has not managed to win a race on his turf. Thus, whenever that race win comes to him, he will feel ecstatic.
Speaking about it in an interview with De Limburger, Sergio Perez said that on his list of achievements, winning in Mexico is in second place, the first being winning the world championship.
"After becoming world champion, it's my biggest dream: a victory in Mexico means everything to me," Perez said.
Furthermore, Checo explained how difficult it is to win the Mexican GP, given the schedule. Nonetheless, he is determined to do whatever he can to win the race. He added that he will never ask his dominating teammate at Red Bull, Max Verstappen, to slow down and let him win as it won't feel like a genuine win to him. He concluded:
"It's an exhausting battle every year, with the home race and the GP in Austin just a week earlier. There's a lot that comes my way during those races, but as soon as the visor comes down, my focus is on racing. I'll do everything to win in Mexico. Will I ask Verstappen to let me win? No — Otherwise, that victory would mean nothing to me. I want to achieve it on my own merit."
Sergio Perez did not have the best season in 2023. Though he started off brilliantly and was even considered a title contender, his form dipped significantly, while Verstappen kept winning race after race, increasing his lead in the championship. Though Perez is still second in the championship, he is being chased by Lewis Hamilton, who is third.
Christian Horner says there are many eager candidates for Sergio Perez's seat at Red Bull
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner recently said that several drivers are after Sergio Perez's seat. Speaking to Sky Sports, he mentioned that Max Verstappen has been locked with the team for quite some time but Checo's contract ends in 2024, which makes his seat a hot property. Horner said:
"Who knows? At Red Bull Racing, we want the best two drivers that are available. We’ve got a long-term contract with Max. Checo is out of contract at the end of ’24 and so you want to explore and see all of those options."
Furthermore, Horner wants to see how AlphaTauri drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson, and Sergio Perez himself will perform next season. Based on their performances, a decision will be taken by the end of 2024.
"Checo is in the hot seat at the moment and will obviously be keen to extend. We’ll see how Daniel does; we’ll see how Yuki does and in the background, we’ll see what Liam’s capable of in the test-and-reserve role," he continued.
As of now, it is safe to say that Sergio Perez will continue to race with Red Bull in 2024.