F1TV commentator Alex Jacques believes Sergio Pérez has regained the best form of his Formula 1 career. The Brit thinks that Pérez will perform stronger now that he knows he is still without a contract for 2025. The Mexican himself already hinted at a possible retirement earlier this season, but Jacques suspects that Pérez would like to remain active with the Austrian racing team for a while.
Pérez also started the season strongly in 2023, and that will be no different in 2024. Three times he created a one-two for Red Bull behind race winner Max Verstappen. Only in Australia was it more difficult with a fifth place, the same result as twelve months earlier in Melbourne. What is particularly striking is that the 34-year-old driver has done much better in qualifying, which gives him a significantly better starting position on Sunday.
Pérez escaped from vicious circle
Jacques notices that Pérez seems much more comfortable in the RB20. ‘Pérez managed to take a step further in every session. You can tell by his self-confidence and his understanding of the car,” shares the British commentator, who tries to explain Pérez’s dip in 2023. ‘If you drive out at the start of the session and it doesn’t work entirely as desired, you have to start looking for time savings, and then you quickly lose your way. Two tenths behind then becomes four tenths, and before you know it you are half a second behind and the mechanics on your side of the garage have slumped shoulders.’
The contrast with the start of 2024 is great. ‘He doesn’t have slumped shoulders now. He is motivated and wants to stay with the best team in Formula 1. It’s good to see that he’s doing better again. He had some difficult moments last year, but he once got his chance with this team through strong performances as an underdog, and by getting the most out of the tires. He has so deserved his chance.’ Pérez already took ten podium places before coming to Red Bull: three for Sauber in 2012, five for Force India between 2014 and 2018, and two for Racing Point in 2020.
