'Checo' Pérez is already preparing Saudi Arabian GP: “I'm looking forward to getting back in the car”

The 2022 Formula 1 season did not start in the best way for Sergio Pérez or his Red Bull Racing team. Both the Mexican's car and that of his teammate Max Verstappen suffered failures, so they had to abandon the race at the Sakhir circuit, in Bahrain. Despite this, Checo remains positive to face the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to be held from 25 to 26 March.

The athlete from Guadalajara, Jalisco, said he was disappointed after being left out of the competition just a few laps away from seeing the checkered flag on what would have been his first podium of the year (he was third behind the Ferrari drivers). Now, the goal is to achieve a good result on the track in Jeddah, where he could not finish the race in 2021.

“I'm looking forward to getting back in the car this weekend. Bahrain was difficult, I was one lap away from starting the season on the podium, but I trust this team and we will work together to overcome it. We have a fast car and I felt very competitive throughout the race. I hope to take advantage of that rhythm and use it from qualifying until Sunday in Jeddah,” Perez commented.

Checo is living his second season as a driver for the Austrian team after having achieved a historic first year: he scored the most points in his career (190), which earned him fourth place in the final standings, won the most podiums (five, won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix) and directly helped Max Verstappen to win the Drivers' World Cup and cut Lewis Hamilton's streak by winning it seven times in a row.

In the words of the Mexican, his goal for this new season of the top category of motorsport is to be champion, to be the best among all, even above his teammate. “(I aspire) to be champion, to make the most of every race and seek that championship. There is a good atmosphere in the team and we are very excited about this new year,” he said during the preseason activities.

The most recent record of the Mexican on the Jeddah track is not pleasant. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix premiered in the category only in the 2021 season. Checo's first participation in the circuit was a major blow as he was left out of the race due to a mishap on lap 15 during one of the relaunches that the event presented.

The direct consequence was to get away from the fight for third place in the World Cup that he was holding at that time with the Finnish Valtteri Bottas de Mercedes. The result ended with Hamilton's now former teammate in third place in the race. The Grand Prix was won by Lewis and in second place was Max Verstappen.

“Last season's race was crazy, it's a very demanding circuit and it will be even more so with the new cars. Unfortunately, I didn't finish the race in 2021, so I want to do a clean race and show the full potential of this car,” said Perez, in relation.

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