The Mexican driver explained that in dominant F1 teams there are much greater demands than elsewhere
Checo Perez knows that his seat at Red Bull is at stake during the 2024 season and so far, the Mexican has two second place finishes.
However, his Achilles heel is still qualifying meaning he still faces pressure at the team, and Perez has opened up on that.
He started fifth in Bahrain and third in Saudi Arabia, whilst Max Verstappen took pole for both events. Those were two Saturdays in which he did not stand out, but he did not ruin his weekends either, doing a good enough job to stay in the hunt.
The next day he improved and that, at least, was enough to be behind the unreachable Max Verstappen. In the overall standings, he is second with 36 points. In other words, he is 15 points behind his teammate, who is destined for his fourth straight championship.
Be that as it may, his start has helped him to be calmer. Checo is aware that if he had failed, he would be under pressure right now, and the Milton Keynes squad is special in this regard. Everyone knows how the environment works and that is something that Perez himself recognizes when asked about this issue that has claimed many past drivers.
“There is always pressure in F1, it is something inherent to compete in the elite,” Perez said to Beyond The Grid. “You always have to perform in all conditions and in all races, that’s normal.
“But at Red Bull it’s different. There is a reason why many drivers have not survived here. The pressure is higher in this team. At Red Bull the demands are different from the rest of the teams.”
The inevitable outside noise
At 34 years of age, he has experienced everything in the circus, but it has not been in vain.
Before joining Red Bull (in 2021) he went through Sauber, McLaren, Force India and Racing Point (Force India rebranded). The fact is that Checo can do nothing but “give his all” and prepare “the best he can”. He is clear that he must try to do his job impeccably.
“The outside noise will always be there,” Perez added. “And there’s nothing you can do about it. But it’s important to make sure you’re able to block it out.
The next day he improved and that, at least, was enough to be behind the unreachable Max Verstappen. In the overall standings, he is second with 36 points. In other words, he is 15 points behind his teammate, who is destined for his fourth straight championship.
Be that as it may, his start has helped him to be calmer. Checo is aware that if he had failed, he would be under pressure right now, and the Milton Keynes squad is special in this regard. Everyone knows how the environment works and that is something that Perez himself recognizes when asked about this issue that has claimed many past drivers.
“There is always pressure in F1, it is something inherent to compete in the elite,” Perez said to Beyond The Grid. “You always have to perform in all conditions and in all races, that’s normal.
“But at Red Bull it’s different. There is a reason why many drivers have not survived here. The pressure is higher in this team. At Red Bull the demands are different from the rest of the teams.”
The inevitable outside noise
At 34 years of age, he has experienced everything in the circus, but it has not been in vain.
Before joining Red Bull (in 2021) he went through Sauber, McLaren, Force India and Racing Point (Force India rebranded). The fact is that Checo can do nothing but “give his all” and prepare “the best he can”. He is clear that he must try to do his job impeccably.
“The outside noise will always be there,” Perez added. “And there’s nothing you can do about it. But it’s important to make sure you’re able to block it out..
At Red Bull, we have seen many drivers demoted. Daniil Kvyat, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon have been victims of the relentless scrutiny of a team that only considers Verstappen untouchable, although Gasly and Albon were brutally crushed by the Dutchman too.
First warning to Ricciardo
Precisely, another who left and has now returned is Daniel Ricciardo, whose presence adds more pressure to Checo. However, the Australian must be careful himself
The Perth native, who is currently racing for Visa Cash App RB, has had a couple of bad results and has already received a touch from the relentless Helmut Marko about being outperformed by Yuki Tsunoda in the opening exchanges.
“There is a lot at stake this season for both Yuki and Daniel,” Marko said. “At least Tsunoda is doing pretty well on Saturdays, but Ricciardo will have to come up with something soon.”
