21/01/2021
NEWS STORY
As he sports Red Bull's colours for the first time, Sergio Perez vows that if the Austrian team has a car that can win the championship, he'll ensure they win it.
Though it might not yet be clear when the championship will actually get underway, or where it goes from there, one thing is certain, when the start lights do finally go out, Sergio Perez will be sitting in the second Red Bull.
As the Mexican visited his new team's Milton Keynes HQ, the message was clear... as he vowed to deliver, indeed "over-deliver".
"I am always pushing to the maximum," he said, "and last year I finally had a car that I could show a bit more and people saw what I am capable of. But now is my big opportunity.
"I have to go onto the next step in all aspects," he continued, "and I think I'm ready for it.
"The only thing I was lacking was the opportunity. Now I have it, it's up to me to make it work.
"I'm going to make sure I over-deliver," he warned. "If we have a car that can win the championship, I'll make sure we win it. And if not, and we only have a car that's good enough for third I will make sure that we finish second.
"It's amazing to be part of the Red Bull family," he grinned. "When you come here you realise, straightaway, why they've been successful, the amount of infrastructure they have and the very capable people they have. I can't wait to get on track with my group of people.
"Obviously, I've been seven years with a team, so it feels a bit different," he admitted, "it's like a dog finding a new family, being with a family for seven years and you are used to them and all of a sudden you are changing.
"But I'm starting to feel very comfortable here, it's a fantastic team, I can see there's a lot of fun ahead of us. I've been in the sport in different teams in different eras. I think I know what I need from myself, but I also feel that I can push the team forwards in certain areas, just by talking to the team.
"I think we know the direction. Obviously I have to wait and drive the car, but there's already some good ideas that we've been sharing with the team, that hopefully can bring some performance on track."
In terms of the elephant in the room, or rather on the other side of the garage, he admitted: "It's a big challenge for myself. We all know Max, how talented, how fast, how much he has grown in the past years, how complete he is by now. So he's definitely one of the best and one of the fastest, if not the fastest out there in the current grid.
"So, yeah, it's a massive challenge in a way. He's been here a long time, he knows what he wants and what he needs from the car. But it's a great challenge and I look forward to work with him and push together forwards for the team."