Perez wants to "make up for the disappointment" in Abu Dhabi
Ahead of the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Red Bull driver Sergio Perez reckons that he wants to "make up for the disappointment" from the past races.
Following a low-key showing in Qatar F1 Sprint, Max Verstappen bounced back with an eye-catching performance in the main qualifying for Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix. The newly-crowned four-time world champion looked strong from the get-go in the standard qualifying, with Red Bull having made several tweaks to his RB20 following the sprint race.
The Dutchman needed a quick lap in the dying seconds of Q3 to beat George Russell, which he was able to deliver to secure his first pole position since the Austrian Grand Prix.
However, he was stripped of his pole position for a yellow flag incident. The Dutchman was upset by the decision, but he regained the lead at the start of the race, and did not let the victory slip through his fingers despite three safety car interventions.
The Hasselt-born driver hailed the Milton Keynes-based outfit for providing him with a car that felt much better than in the past races.
"Qatar was an exciting race and it felt good to win there again. The car felt a lot better to drive and it was a great performance all round from the Team.
"We are on to the final race of the season and Abu Dhabi always brings back good memories. It has been a long season and we are ready for a bit of time off and to spend quality time at home with family and friends.
"The Team have worked incredibly hard this season and everyone deserves a break to relax once the season has wrapped. It would be great to finish the season on a high and try and bring home the win here," added Verstappen.
Last Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix saw his team-mate Sergio Perez make a decent getaway and was running in the points for much of the race. Although he was unable to replicate the enormous pace Verstappen was dictating at the front, the second safety car intervention put him into a very promising position.
However, the Mexican made a mistake during the restart after the second safety car, losing control of the back of his car and spinning into the run-off zone. After having been retired from the action at Lusail, Perez is eager to bring his immensely tough season in a positive way to the end.
"Heading to Abu Dhabi, it’s important to me to have a very strong final race of the season. I owe the Team and myself a solid, all round performance across the weekend.
"We have been seeing improvements week on week recently and the pace has been there, now we need to put it together. Everything was going so well in Qatar and the podium was in our sights. It’s frustrating for everyone that we couldn’t convert that positive position in the race into something more.
"The aim in Abu Dhabi will be to make up for that disappointment. It has been a very up and down season for me and I will be giving everything I have to end it on a high," concluded Perez.
