Red Bull’s Sergio Perez has put his improved beginning to the 2024 Formula 1 season to not ending up in a “vicious circle” striving to beat team-mate Max Verstappen.
Perez began the previous campaign with two victories in the opening four races but then endured a disastrous slump that saw him slip 290 points behind Verstappen.
However, the Mexican recovered from his drop in form in the closing rounds and has carried that through into this season with three podiums from the first six rounds.
Expanding upon changes to his approach, Perez has revealed how subtle alterations to his set-up on the RB20 have avoided him starting each round on the back foot.
Asked to pinpoint his more consistent results this term, Perez said: “Two things we’ve done: I think we’ve stopped playing too much with the set-up before a weekend.
“I think our start set-up is a lot better and then we can move around. I think that way you have a stronger weekend.
“I’ve done some tweaks, very smooth tweaks to my accommodation on my side that have made a tremendous difference.
“I probably minimized those in the past and they have made a tremendous difference.”
Perez admitted that his desire to usurp Verstappen and his recurring struggles last term resulted in him chasing wrong set-up avenues and exacerbating his issues.
Questioned on how it impacted his mental state during that period, Perez explained: “I think it’s a lot because when you are struggling and when you have a team-mate like Max delivering weekend after weekend and you keep struggling and you get in a vicious circle and then you keep chasing on the car set-up and probably there’s not so much there.
“You should probably just reset and keep your head in a strong place because it can be tough at times. But I think to be at Red Bull you have to have a very strong head.”
Despite his more encouraging opening to this season, Perez hasn’t won a race since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last April, while Verstappen has taken 21 victories since.
But Perez is unconcerned with his protracted win drought and is adamant that his seventh career success in F1 will arrive providing that he maintains his current form.
“I think the win will come as long as I deliver on the weekends,” he asserted. “I’m still in the fight in the championship. I haven’t lost so much ground.
“We are in race number seven. As long as I keep doing good weekends, it will come. It’s not a huge concern. It’s more important to have solid weekends.
“If it’s a solid weekend in P2, P3, P2, I’m going to be in the fight especially with how the season is going. It’s important to maximize the points every weekend.”
He added: “I’m not too bothered about it. The pace has been strong in a couple of events. We have a good weekend, good qualifying and the pace is there.”
