Sergio Perez 'not driving well' as he struggles to get a read on the conditions after first day of the 2023 F1 Miami GP

Sergio Perez recently revealed that he was not too happy with his performance in the first practice session of the 2023 F1 Miami GP. After winning the Azerbaijan GP, the Mexican is upbeat coming into the next race in Miami, but he could see that the conditions could hamper his performance.

Speaking to the media, Perez explained how he struggled with low grip while he and Red Bull tried to run a few mechanical balance tests during the first practice session on Friday. He also stated that he was unable to get a good feel for the car due to fewer laps in the practice sessions.

Checo said:

"It's...I mean the conditions out there are very low, the grip, especially in FP1. It felt like inter conditions pretty much. We were measuring wet conditions to inter condition. We have been trying a few stuff with the mechanical balance, and I think we learned quite a bit. In the long run, I don't think we managed to get a rate because of the very few laps that we end up doing out there. But generally, I think we got a good baseline."

Furthermore, Sergio Perez admitted that his driving in practice sessions was not the best. He explained how he locked up in the last corner while doing one of his flying laps. However, he is hopeful that the weekend will improve for him once he gets more comfortable with the car and the circuit.

The Red Bull driver concluded:

"I haven't had the greatest of the friday, but this, my lap, was also pretty bad, I locked up on the final corner. So there's quite a bit to come, I think, together with my driving, I'm not driving really, really well today. So I think if I'm able to improve my driving and get myself a bit more comfortable, it should be all right."

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Sergio Perez believes he could have been leading the championship against Max Verstappen

After winning the 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP, Sergio Perez explained how he could be leading the championship against Max Verstappen if he did not have any issues in the Australian GP a month ago. Speaking to Viaplay, he said:

"Definitely, I should be leading the championship if it were not for the problems we had in Melbourne. So we are definitely in the fight for the title."

Sergio Perez was talking about his car encountering some issues back in the qualifying session in Melbourne, which forced him to start the race from the pitlane. Despite all the chaos, he managed to finish the race in fifth position. However, it was not enough for the Mexican, who is currently six points behind his teammate, Max Verstappen.