Sergio Perez has revealed in his first interview as a Red Bull driver that 2021 is a ‘big opportunity’ for him to showcase his quality and prove why he deserves the seat.
Tuesday saw Perez visit Red Bull’s factory for the first time conducting a seat fitting and media commitments since confirming his move last month, in which he spoke of his plans for this season after a strong campaign in 2020 for Racing Point.
Speaking on his consistency last season and the ability to showcase his potential, Perez said; “I am always pushing to the maximum and last year I finally had a car that I could show a bit more and people saw what I am capable of, but now is my big opportunity.
The Mexican however admitted that he feels ‘ready’ to step up to a top constructor now he has been handed the opportunity, as he said; “I have to go onto the next step in all aspects and I think I’m ready for it. The only thing I was lacking was the opportunity. Now I have it, it’s up to me to make it work. I’m going to make sure I overdeliver.
Challenging for the title though is something that Perez is being optimistic about, saying; “If we have a car that can win the championship, I’ll make sure we win it. And if not, and we only have a car that’s good enough for third I will make sure that we finish second.”
Perez’s comments on a possible title challenge comes three-and-a-half years after he exclusively spoke to us, saying; “I’d like to have the opportunity to fight for the championship. I think I got what it takes, so I’d like to be at any team that could give me that opportunity.”
Perez’s ultimate aim for 2021 however is “to have a really good season” in order to repay the faith placed in him by Helmut Marko, Christian Horner and everyone else at Red Bull, acknowledging that this is the first time that no other team has given him the chance to be in a frontrunning team before.
2021 however won’t be the first time that Perez has driven for a championship winning team, having previously driven for McLaren in 2013, only to be dropped at end of that season.
This season therefore will mark Perez’s 11th season in F1 but the Mexican admitted that the time in F1 goes “very fast” for the one-time race winner.
Red Bull’s offer though came as a surprise for Perez who thought that “there was no chance” of him securing the seat due to Red Bull’s junior programme, meaning that he took the opportunity when presented with the chance to sign in “a dream come true” moment.
The 30 year-old however is delighted to be part of the four-time world championship winning constructor, having worked hard for over 15 years to achieve this opportunity which he feels has “come at the right time” and is now “ready” to “… grab it with both hands.”
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