“I look forward to be on the podium every single race”: Sergio Perez targets top 3 in every F1 race after P3 finish in Hungary

Sergio Perez put an end to a streak of disappointing results over the past few races and managed to make a strong recovery to finish P3 at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday.

In his post-race media interaction, the Red Bull driver reflected on the race, detailing why he was unable to make it to P2. Perez said:

"We got close to P2. Unfortunately we got through a lot of backmarkers. The track was unbelievably dirty off line, so in the last laps I had some pick-up going through the backmarkers, and that meant that I lost a few seconds. I recovered towards the end but it was just too late."

He went on to praise the team, while admitting that he hopes to maintain this upward trend in the races to come. He said:

"I think overall it was a great strategy by the team and we managed to have an excellent result. I think this sort of performance, these sort of days do help, and from now on I just look forward to basically being on the podium every single weekend, so let’s keep it up."

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Sergio Perez refuses to "think that far away" amidst replacement rumors

Sergio Perez is unfazed by rumors of Daniel Ricciardo potentially replacing him at Red Bull in 2025, given the Australian's recent return to the sport with AlphaTauri and the Mexican's streak of poor results.

Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, ahead of the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend, Sergio Perez said:

"No, I’m not a guy… I’ve been in F1 for 13 years so I’m not a guy who thinks so much further ahead. I’ve been with the engineers, I don’t even have the time to discuss what’s going on with Daniel. I think it’s a great opportunity for him, and that’s it."

He also admitted that his focus remains on improving his results in the upcoming races rather than thinking too further ahead into next season. He added:

"I’m focusing on Hungary and then Belgium and not really thinking about 2025, you know? It’s such a far world ahead, it’s nonsense to think that far away."

After failing to make it to Q3 for five consecutive races, the 33-year-old finally seems to have broken the pattern this weekend in Budapest after not only qualifying in the top ten but also making it back to the podium alongside his team-mate Max Verstappen.