Sergio Perez enters the Canadian Grand Prix with a sense of urgency, hoping for a fresh start to rejuvenate his 2023 season and reignite his championship aspirations. The Mexican driver faced setbacks in the previous races in Spain and Monaco, which caused him to lose ground to his teammate Max Verstappen in the championship standings.
Certainly when one looks back at the 2023 season thus far, one crucial aspect that hindered Perez’s campaign is his inconsistency in qualifying sessions. While demonstrating impressive race pace, he often struggled to extract the maximum performance from his car during the crucial one-lap shootout.
This inconsistency in qualifying placed him at a disadvantage, starting races from lower grid positions and forcing him to battle through the field. The lost opportunities for starting in a more advantageous position limited his chances of achieving optimal results. Something the Mexican is acutely aware of.
“I made a bad mistake…”
Perez acknowledges the need to turn things around and close the gap to Verstappen, who currently holds a 53-point advantage. Reflecting on his recent struggles, Perez takes responsibility for his mistakes, particularly a driving error in qualifying that led to a difficult race in Barcelona and a zero score in Monaco after an incident with another car.
“I want a fresh start, to start again,” Perez admits.
“Monaco was me, I made a very bad mistake. Then in Barcelona in qualifying again, it was tricky with the wet conditions, we didn’t manage to have a good qualifying, and we paid the price on Sunday.”
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Perez looks to ‘reset’ 2023
Eager to regain his earlier season form, Perez emphasizes the need for consistency and draws inspiration from Verstappen’s ability to deliver strong performances when it matters. Perez recognizes that he cannot afford any more subpar weekends and aims to eliminate his recent setbacks to remain competitive throughout the season.
“I can’t afford to have any more bad weekends. I think I’ve had two or three bad weekends in the season, so I really need to get rid of them and be consistent because I think Max has been really good and consistent throughout this period.”
With the Canadian Grand Prix serving as a crucial opportunity to reset his campaign, Perez is determined to bounce back and reignite his championship challenge. He aims to recapture his earlier form and capitalize on his potential to close the gap to Verstappen and fight for the top positions.
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