Sergio Perez has expressed „absolute confidence” he will soon be back to his best after a string of early qualifying exits after missing damage-limitation training for five straight races.
After the fifth round of the season in Miami, Perez is now 99 points adrift of Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen, having failed to reach Q3 in Monaco, Spain, Canada, Austria and Britain and starting at the back.
At Silverstone, Verstappen took his eighth win of the season, with Perez having to settle for sixth from 15th – leaving the Mexican with another race-day recovery drive.
„Nothing really worked today,” lamented Perez. “I had a great launch but I was pushed off the track by Esteban [Ocon] I lost positions in the beginning, so it took me a long time to get on the field. We pitted for like three or four laps before the safety car came out, which was a shame.
„But yeah, I know where the problem is, it’s on Saturday. [In qualifying]There are some things we need to fix, but the positive thing is that on Sundays, the pace is there at the end of the day when the points are awarded.
„I still am Second in the championship And I’m fully confident that I can turn my season around and get back to where I should be. I’m already in the simulator [on Monday]We have some ideas of where to work and I believe we can do it.
Perez, despite his recent qualifying struggles, feels he is mentally ready to bounce back, while underlining the support he receives from team principals Christian Horner and Helmut Marko.
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„I have full support from Helmut, Christian and all my engineers,” he commented. „Everyone in the team knows what I’m capable of [just] That’s how it goes sometimes.
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“When we’re not completely comfortable with the car, you tend to see these margins. It has happened to any other driver, but it is how you deal with these situations.
„The most important thing is that I’m mentally very strong, I’m in very strong condition and I have no doubt that I will overcome this.”
„Całkowity introwertyk. Nieprzejednany specjalista od sieci. Przyjazny fanatyk bekonu. Student ekstremalnych. Miłośnik piwa. Organizator.”