“I am not 2nd in the championship by some miracle” - Sergio Perez focused on finishing the F1 season on a strong note

Sergio Perez has claimed that he is focused on finishing the 2023 F1 season on a strong note, having failed to impress since the 2023 Miami GP. The Mexican driver is now almost a hundred points behind his teammate Max Verstappen in the standings.

Perez looked to be a genuine championship contender to Max Verstappen in the first few races, with the pair separated by less than 15 points heading into Miami. Despite the minor gap with Verstappen, Perez has now dropped out of championship contention after suffering a series of poor qualifying sessions. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen is well on his way to a third consecutive title in the sport.

However, the Mexican believes that ending the season on a good note is the most important thing in the sport, claiming that the final standings after Abu Dhabi is the one that really matters.

Speaking at the recent Red Bull Showrun in Madrid, Sergio Perez said:

"In F1 it matters where you end up in Abu Dhabi. Everything else does not matter. My focus is to maintain a good season. I am not second in the championship by some miracle, it is because I have won races."

Sergio Perez ignoring all contract speculation following his recent form

Perez has been ignoring all speculation regarding his future with Red Bull, with many believing that the team should replace the Mexican with someone capable of better performance.

As a result, there is speculation that the former Racing Point driver's contract with Red Bull is at stake given his dismal form compared to his teammate Max Verstappen.

However, Sergio Perez has made it clear that he is unbothered by all contract speculations. He told the media present at Silverstone:

"Yeah, fully. I couldn't care less if I'm honest about that. I've been in F1 13 years, and I've seen it all. Not worried about any of that. I'm mainly focused on getting my season on track, and making sure I keep enjoying this.

"Yeah, I have full support from Helmut and Christian. The whole team is fully backing me, and they know what I can do. They know my potential, and they are fully behind me.”

To make matters worse for the Mexican, Daniel Ricciardo has returned to the sport as a full-time driver with AlphaTauri, replacing Nyck de Vries who was sacked for his poor results.

It will be interesting to watch if Checo can try and prove himself in the coming races.