Perez: Red Bull will look at the ‘big picture’ over Mexico GP win

Sergio Perez admits Red Bull will look at the “big picture” as he dreams of a home win at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

After a one-year absence due to Covid-19, the man from Guadalajara will once again be the driver most come to see at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez this weekend.

And after racing in the midfield in his first five races in Mexico, with a best finish of seventh, Perez can’t wait for the prospect of battling towards the front with Red Bull.

“Incredibly excited, I am so much looking forward to it,” he said.

“My country has been so supportive of me throughout my career and I always love the chance to race in front of those fans.

“People are always blown away by the support I receive here in Mexico but they have always backed me, since many years ago, when my career was first starting.

“It’s just great to finally have a team and a car that we can dream of a victory in my home country,” Checo added.

“We have a chance to make a big result happen this weekend, so I will prepare as well as I can and we will see what we are able to achieve.”

Perez also arrives in Mexico in arguably his best run of form all year, including back-to-back podiums at the past two races.

“I think confidence,” Red Bull boss Christian Horner said when asked what is behind Sergio’s recent improvement.

“I think it has been coming for the last few races. At Monza he was strong, Sochi he was strong. He should have been on the podium at both of those races.

“He had a strong Istanbul (finishing third) and he was on the pace all the way through in Austin so I think it’s just confidence.

“We’re managing to find a set-up that works for him and managing to optimise the car around his style a little more.

“We need him delivering at this time of the year which is a great result for him.”

Red Bull also arrive in Mexico as favourites given Mercedes’ historical weakness at high altitude races in recent years.

But that does raise the uncomfortable possibility of what would Red Bull do if Perez was leading and teammate Max Verstappen, who is fighting for the championship, was second in the closing laps.

“It’s complicated,” Checo replied. “We should see what circumstances we have in the race.

“At the end of the day, we are drivers working as a team and the main focus is on the team.

“It’s the big picture. We will have to look at the circumstances. And that’s the beauty of racing: that decisions are made in the moment, in seconds, even though they are very complicated issues.

“I would be proud to be able to achieve one of my dreams since my childhood [and win],” he noted.

“This is a real opportunity that depends on me and my team, whereas in other years it depended on other factors. So there is a very real chance, and my motivation is 100 percent.”