Perez Thinks He Can Keep Hamilton At Bay After 'Extremely Unlucky' Recent Weekends

Friday, 03 November 2023 at 09:00

Red Bull Racing F1 driver Sergio Perez addressed rumors and talked about the championship standings ahead of the 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

In recent weeks, there have been multiple rumors surrounding the future of Sergio Perez in Red Bull Racing. Some rumors suggested Checo has to finish second in the Championship to keep his seat at Red Bull.

Other rumors suggested there were a few different drivers that Red Bull was allegedly already in talks with for the 2024 seat. One of the most recent ones suggested Fernando Alonso will be the one replacing Perez.

Sergio Perez addressed all of the rumors during the Thursday Press Conference ahead of the 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos Circuit.

"If that’s what you want to say and write as journalists, apparently, it’s the rumor in the media. But in the end, I have a contract. Everything is clear, regardless of where I end up this season. But, I mean, rumors are rumors."

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After clearing all the rumors, Perez was asked about the 20-point gap between him and third-place Lewis Hamilton and whether he thinks he can defend the second position in the Drivers Championship.

"Yes, I think I have the pace to do that. I’ve just been extremely unlucky the last few weekends. I think it’s time to get a clean weekend and show what I can do because I think the pace in the last few weeks has been a lot better than the results we’ve been getting.

The seven-time World Champion said he will give it a go to challenge Perez for second place in the Championship after he gained 19 points during the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix.

The Mexican driver feels he has the pace and has made enough progress in the meantime to keep the Mercedes driver at bay. He concluded: "I really feel that we’ve made a lot of progress, so we should be back in form this weekend."