“Nothing has worked really”: Sergio Perez looking forward to seeing the curtain on ‘tricky year’ in 2024
Sergio Perez said he was relieved as he approaches the conclusion of what has been an abysmal 2024 season and was optimistic about finishing on a positive note at the final round in Abu Dhabi. Speaking to media, including Sportskeeda, after the Qatar GP, the Mexican driver expressed hope that the improved pace of the RB20 could help him secure a strong result and bring some solace after a year to forget.
Scoring just 152 points across 23 races, Perez has endured one of his most dismal campaigns in Formula 1. Struggling to unlock the full potential of the RB20, he has fallen 277 points behind teammate Max Verstappen, who secured his fourth title with ease. His underwhelming performances have been marked by numerous Q1 eliminations in qualifying and race finishes outside the top five, leaving him a disappointing eighth in the drivers’ standings. His struggles have also drawn criticism for costing Red Bull the constructors’ championship, with the team likely to finish third.
After retiring from another challenging race in Qatar, Perez remained hopeful about closing the season on a stronger note. In the sprint race, he carried out experimental setup work, which ultimately aided Verstappen in clinching victory in Qatar. The Red Bull Racing driver believes that the lessons learned from the RB20, particularly after its recent improvements, will be crucial in extracting better performance in Abu Dhabi. He hopes to end the year with a result that provides a glimmer of redemption after a season riddled with setbacks.
Asked by Sportskeeda how relieved he was to end one of the most difficult seasons of his career in Abu Dhabi, Sergio Perez said:
“Yeah, I mean, nothing has worked really apart from the first couple of races. It's been quite a tricky year. So yeah, it just doesn't get any better, so hopefully we can have a nice final race because I think we learned quite a lot from the car on this weekend.”
Asked by Sportskeeda what they learned from experiments he carried out in the sprint on the RB20, he replied:
“I think definitely we learned a lot from that sprint event which was great to see and I think from that point on there's a lot of things that we will analyze understand from our car still. It's a penultimate race and we keep learning from it. So I really hope we can put it all together in the final race.”
Sergio Perez looks forward to ending a dismal 2024 season on a high in Abu Dhabi
Sergio Perez hopes to end his difficult 2024 season on a positive note with a stronger result in Abu Dhabi, aiming to rebuild his confidence for the future. Reflecting on the Qatar GP, the Mexican driver admitted that mastering the balance of the RB20 proved challenging, preventing him from achieving desirable results.
However, he saw Max Verstappen’s victorious performance in Qatar as a promising sign of the car’s improvement over the weekend, offering a glimmer of hope for a better showing in the season finale.
Asked how important it was to have a good result in Abu Dhabi to end the season, Perez replied:
“Ah, it would be good, you know, to finish it off. There have been some signs of some flashes of pace we just have to put it all together. This weekend was really really tricky by not being able to connect enough the balance. But we learnt a lot with the with the sprint with the direction that Max took. So I really hope that for the final race we can get everything back.”
After a dismal season marked by a significant downturn in performance, Sergio Perez faces mounting uncertainty about his future at Red Bull for 2025 and beyond. Reports following the Qatar GP suggest that the six-time Grand Prix winner could be replaced, with names like Franco Colapinto and Liam Lawson emerging as potential contenders for his seat. While Red Bull has remained tight-lipped about its decision, it is understood that a final call on Perez’s position will be made following the Abu Dhabi GP.