Sergio Perez feels Red Bull's drive for perfection is what sets the team apart from its competitors. The Mexican joined the outfit at the start of the 2021 F1 season and has been part of the winning journey as Max Verstappen clinched the title last season.
Even this season, the team is well-poised to pick up both championships as it enjoys a significant lead. When questioned what he thought was different about the team, Sergio Perez said:
"I think the level of perfection the team is searching for every weekend. If we win that weekend, there are so many things we can do better. We are always pushing hard [to] all the limits, and I think Red Bull, as a team, is unique in that regard."
He added:
"Red Bull is very different to any other team. Every team is different. Every one has good things and bad things. But certainly, I'm very happy to be part of this [at Red Bull]."
Sergio Perez also received a two-year contract extension earlier this season. When questioned how an early extension helped him, the Mexican said:
"It's good to have that continuity with the team - to be able to work on a longer-term basis. I think that's something that I was looking for in the last couple of years. So to have that, I think is a great plus."
In the last race before the summer break, Sergio Perez was able to turn around a poor qualifying performance into a decent result. The Mexican was very happy heading into the summer break after already having a win under his belt in the first half of the season.
"It is good to go into the summer break strongly. After qualifying, it was looking like it could have been a poor weekend for us, but we recovered some good points, and it was great fun to have the Mercedes and Ferraris racing up there with us."
Sergio Perez is insanely fast but not good at qualifying: Red Bull Advisor
Talking about Sergio Perez, Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko pointed out an interesting observation. Marko talked about how every Red Bull driver has to complete a simulator qualifying lap known as the 'Helmut Round' to determine their positions.
The Austrian also talked about how, in the simulator, some drivers are not great on one lap, but are very quick over a race distance. This was the category that Sergio Perez predominantly fell in as his qualifying laps are generally not as good as his races.
“Our juniors have to complete a qualifying round in the simulator to determine their position. We call this the 'Helmut Round'. One does it better, the other does it less. You don't have any pressure in the simulator either. Sometimes it is also something mental. There are drivers who are insanely fast, but are not good at qualifying. Perez is such a person. That has been the case throughout his career.”
Perez is third in the championship standings right now and will be hoping to close the gap to Charles Leclerc in P2.