Perez wants to produce ‘World Champion’ showing in Qatar

Sergio Perez says he wants to put in a performance reflective of Red Bull’s status as “World Champions” at this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix.

While Red Bull sealed the Constructors’ Championship last time out in Japan as Max Verstappen surged to victory, Perez endured a disastrous weekend outing at Suzuka.

The Mexican wound up six-tenths behind his team-mate in qualifying before an overambitious move on Kevin Magnussen saw the two collide, putting Perez out.

Having avoided a potential grid drop for the next round by returning to the track to serve his penalty, Perez is hopeful of rebounding strongly upon Formula 1’s return to Qatar.

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“Qatar is a chance to get back to racing for me with two opportunities to win across the weekend,” Perez previewed.

“The Sprint format always throws up challenges when it comes to setting the car up, so we will work hard together to ensure we are ready for qualifying on Friday night.

“The track there can be tricky, as we learnt in 2021, grip is affected by the sand on the surface, so you must be alert. A night race is always fun though and this might be the hottest event we have all season, so it will involve a lot of management across all three days to get the most out of the car.

“We are coming into this race as World Champions, and for me personally, I would like to show that out on track.”

Meanwhile, Verstappen, who retains a 177-point advantage over Perez, can secure his third consecutive Drivers’ title by scoring three points in Saturday’s Sprint Race.

“It feels good to be heading to Qatar with the Constructors’ Championship secured,” the Dutchman said.

“The track there is really fun to drive, although it’s going to be a tough weekend for all of us as it’s so hot there. The temperatures will definitely make it interesting.

“This weekend is also a Sprint Race so we need to make sure we learn as much as we can from the practice session on Friday.

“The Drivers’ Championship can also be won during the Sprint Race on Saturday so that is our main aim. Hopefully it will be a weekend to remember!”