Sergio Perez hasn’t won a Formula 1 road course race since joining Red Bull in 2021, but he isn’t worrying about that amid his recent success.
Four races into the 2023 Formula 1 season, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez has already matched his career-high single season win total, having won two of the last three races in Jeddah and Baku.
Many fans have given the 32-year-old Mexican driver the nickname “king of the streets”, given the fact that he has now won three of the last four street races going back to last October and the fact that all five of his wins as a Red Bull driver have come on city streets.
But at some point, he is probably going to have to win a road course race — if not several — in order to truly challenge teammate and two-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen, who has won 10 of the last 11 road course races, for this year’s world championship.
Four of the season’s seven street course races will already be in the books following this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix. Beyond this race, 15 of the remaining 18 races on the calendar are road course races. The current gap between the teammates is six points in the driver standings, with Verstappen in the lead.
But Perez isn’t stressing the fact that he is still seeking his first road course win as a Red Bull Formula 1 driver.
“I’m currently now just thinking of Miami, which is a street circuit — but it’s not really a street circuit like others,” Perez told Beyond the Flag. “I’m just thinking about winning every race for now, and my target is to do the best I possibly can.”
The next road course race is scheduled to take place at Imola on Sunday, May 21. In the meantime, Perez is looking to keep up his momentum on the streets, though he knows that Baku City Circuit, where he is now the only two-time winner, and Miami International Autodrome don’t have much in common.
“Not really, because every circuit is a new challenge,” he admitted. “But certainly the things that we learned over the weekend should be able to help us around this [Miami] place.”
While Baku City Circuit is the only venue at which he has won twice, he isn’t quite ready to consider it his favorite.
“I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite track,” he said. “It certainly is one that I enjoy a lot. But for now, yes, because it’s my most recent win. So I’m in love with Baku at the moment.”
Perhaps he will be in love with Miami soon.
Last year, Perez only finished in fourth place in Miami, while Verstappen stood atop the podium. With only seven days between the races in Baku and Miami, a trip to the other side of the world leaves very little time to prepare, but he is making the most of it.
“They’re really far away! Baku feels like ages ago, and it was only a few days ago,” he said. “So now it’s full focus onto this weekend, and we have to make the most of what we possibly can.”
The Miami Grand Prix is set to be broadcast live on ESPN from Miami International Autodrome beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, May 7. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don’t miss it!