Perez Argues There Is Plenty To 'Improve' After First Race

Sunday, 03 March 2024 at 22:30

Sergio Perez suggested there is "plenty of work" that he and his team must do to improve after the season's first race.

Red Bull Racing F1 driver met his team's objective for him going into the first race of the 2024 season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, when he crossed the finish line in second place.

He completed a one-two for Red Bull, meaning the team collected the maximum points. However, the 34-year-old suggested there are quite a few things to work on ahead of the first race. He told the media at the Bahrain International Circuit:

"I'm pretty pleased, pretty happy. I think it's been a great result for the team, and [I'm] very satisfied with that. There's plenty of work that we've got to do to improve, and hopefully, we are able to chip away for Jeddah."

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Unlike his teammate, who led all 57 laps of the race without any issues, Checo encountered quite a few problems as he made his way up the field from the initial fifth starting position.

"I'm aware that there were some things that were not totally perfect from our side. I was struggling quite a bit with the balance, with the downshifts and the engine braking."

Perez finished only three seconds ahead of Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz. While Helmut Marko suggested the reason for that was that Checo managed his pace, the Mexican driver said there was some tidy-up to do.

"I think there is some tidy-up to do before Jeddah, so I think it’s great [that] we have a full race distance to analyze."

Nevertheless, the 34-year-old's ultimate goal is to retain his seat with the team, and if he can keep consistently scoring P2 finishes, Red Bull will consider him a strong candidate. He added:

"I think, so far, it's just important, the car is going to be evolving and changing," Perez commented. "I think it's just important to keep it up, keep the momentum going, and make sure that we are able to keep that momentum with us."