Sergio Perez has set returning to the Formula 1 podium as his main goal for 2020 in a "big year" for Racing Point.
The Mexican has sprayed the champagne eight times in his career, five of which have come at Force India with Azerbaijan 2018 the last time he did so finishing third.
And following a year of rebuilding under the ownership of Lawrence Stroll, Perez is ready to take the Silverstone-based squad back to the heights they were achieving in 2016 and 2017.
“Although it’s been a very difficult year in terms of pace, a slow start and so on, I cannot wait already for 2020. I think it’s a big year ahead for us and we work very hard,” 'Checo' said via Crash.net.
“I think we managed to improve step-by-step but obviously not enough [during this year]. I don’t think we got close enough to McLaren, they were strong this year.
“Renault were a step ahead but it’s been very close to Toro Rosso I think. They obviously did a better job than us and scored plenty of points when the opportunities were there, so that made a huge difference in the midfield when you are able to score big points.
“We can improve a lot. There are great teams out there and everyone is going to improve, so for us to catch up and improve, it will be difficult,” Perez added.
“But I think podiums and P4 in the championship should be the target for us next year.”
Also Read:
- Perez needs motivation, says Racing Point underdelivered in 2019
- Stroll: 2020 will be more representative of Racing Point's potential
Racing Point is among those teams hoping the new financial regulations and more will allow them to close the gap to the top three from 2021 but, ironically, it is the lack of change which is why Perez sees next year as a good opportunity for better results.
“In a way, it brings the whole field closer when there is stability in the rules,” he claimed. “Generally, over the years we’ve seen that when there is little changing the field tends to be closer together.
“So I expect the grid to come together a bit more next year.”
