Perez 'Would Never Have Been So Aggressive' If He Was Fighting For Title

Tuesday, 05 December 2023 at 17:00

Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez reflected on the devastating 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix, during which he retired after one lap.

Sergio Perez struggled with his performance throughout the 2023 season, however, he started catching up to his teammate Max Verstappen during the last few races.

The Mexican driver wanted to shine in front of his home crowd during the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix, but, his aggressive overtake attempt in the first corner cost him everything, and he had to retire from the race.

The Red Bull F1 driver reflected on the incident at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez after the end of the 2023 season. As quoted by Motorsport Italy, he said:

"I felt I had a real chance of finishing immediately in front, if I had succeeded in my overtaking intent. Unfortunately, it didn't happen that way, but it could have been a great result."

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Many F1 experts backed Perez for the brave overtake attempt. If he pulled it off, it could have been the overtake of the season, so the 33-year-old found himself in a situation where he would be either a hero or zero, and he went all in.

While that deserves credit, the Mexican driver said he would not go for such an overtake if he was fighting for the Championship. He explained:

"If I had been fighting for the title I would never have been so aggressive, but if you are fighting for second place then it's a different story."

While Perez improved his performances towards the end of the second half of the 2023 season, he acknowledged it was not his finest year in F1. On the other hand, Checo also found multiple positives as he concluded:

"I always say that people will remember your result in Abu Dhabi, but I am aware of the year I have had. I think I learned a lot and I am happy with how we managed to turn our season around. We really came out of it more stronger than before and we made excellent use of those difficult days."