Pérez struggles with ‘shattered self-confidence’ this F1 season

Red Bull Racing won its sixth constructors’ title last Sunday and that happened in a way that is indicative of this season. Max Verstappen won the race, while teammate Sergio Pérez suffered a new disappointment. There are moments when things seem to be going a bit better, but the fact is that despite the good start, this year is still one to forget for the Mexican. At The Limburger the 33-year-old driver explains exactly how deep he has gone this season. “After Miami things got worse and worse for me. I felt like I was driving a different car that didn’t suit me so well and then I failed to reach Q3 several times. That shattered my self-confidence.”

To try to keep a cool head – not only in F1, but also at home with his family – Pérez hired a mental coach. “My family deserves a cheerful father at home,” said Pérez, who has three young children. At the beginning of the summer, Checo started working with that coach, who should also help him to perform better in F1. “In the meantime, I also continued to work with the engineers to find a solution to some problems. I am now 33 years old, but I am still learning every day, both on and off the track.”

Although things are not going well for him this year and Red Bull is sometimes pointed out (especially from the Mexican fan base) for its struggles, Pérez says he remains grateful to be part of the team. He would like to continue driving there for the rest of his career. For now, he says, the biggest challenge is to find balance with the car, which is ‘built slightly differently than those of other teams’. “It takes time to get used to that and of course you also have to deal with Max Verstappen as a teammate,” said Pérez. In about two weeks he will have another chance to gain some more positive experiences than last weekend. In Qatar he hopes to strengthen his grip on second place in the championship. The difference with Lewis Hamilton in P3 is now 33 points. Verstappen, who will probably become champion next race weekend, now has 177 points more than Pérez.