Red Bull is hoping to achieve a historic first for its team, provided driver Sergio Perez can keep up with teammate Max Verstappen.
The Milton Keynes-based team has so far dominated the 2023 season, winning all but one of the 16 rounds, leading to victory in the Constructors’ Championship with six rounds remaining.
They have broken many records this year, with the most consecutive wins for a single team at 15 and star driver Max Verstappen winning ten races in a row to break the record for consecutive wins. Most deliveries per pilot team.
But the team is still not satisfied in its quest for more glory. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner envisions another record the dominant team can add to its name. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, the boss hopes Red Bull can claim their first driver’s championship double. He say:
“That’s something we never realized; We have never finished in first or second place with any of our riders at the world championship, so this will be an important target for us to achieve.
Horner added that he expected Perez to retain second place in the standings, with Verstappen the leader. He continued:
“He has at least one race weekend as a cushion for Lewis [Hamilton] and even more for Fernando [Alonso] behind him.”
“He came close last year, which would have been his best ever result and he has the best car he’s ever had to be able to try and get that result. “
Perez is far behind teammate Verstappen on the points chart, with 223 and 400 points respectively. However, the Mexican tennis player is 33 points ahead of third-placed Lewis Hamilton. The question is: can he retain second place in the Drivers’ Championship? Based on his most recent performance, probably not. Red Bull struggled to find the right balance in Singapore, giving Ferrari their first win of the season as Perez dropped to eighth.
The 34-year-old dropped the ball completely in the following round in Japan, retired twice with broken wings and was given a warm-up time penalty in a self-described “disaster weekend”.
On the other hand, Perez also said his confidence is at an all-time high after working hard with his mental coach. Although he admits his 2023 challenge is long gone, he still hopes to compete with Verstappen for the 2024 crown. However, for now, Red Bull will be ready for Perez to continue to face challenges from Hamilton, Alonso and the Ferrari duo of Carlos Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc in the battle for second place in the drivers’ standings.
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