Ahead of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, Sergio Perez has revealed that Red Bull aren’t planning any more “big upgrades” for the remainder of this season, with the Mexican expecting the team to be caught as a result.
Red Bull have made an exceptional start to the season and comfortably lead the Constructors’ Championship, thanks to having won all six races this year.
Perez’s season though, took a concerning turn in Monaco last weekend, as he handed Max Verstappen a huge advantage.
For the second time this season, Perez was eliminated in Q1 following an accident, resulting in him starting the Monaco Grand Prix from last.
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His race was certainly eventful, with the 33-year-old having been involved in several incidents.
Perez ultimately could only manage sixteenth last Sunday, whilst Verstappen claimed his 39th career win.
The result saw Perez slip to 39 points behind Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship, with the Mexican admitting ahead of this weekend’s Spanish GP that he’s now not going to “think too much” about the standings.
“I want to maximise my weekends and not think too much about the championship,” Perez said.
“It’s all about maximising the weekends, getting the maximum positions I possibly can and go from there, really.
“Anything can happen, we have so many races ahead that it can turn around very quickly. The speed is there, which is the most positive [thing]. We just have to go from there.
“Just making sure we are qualifying well, making sure we are racing well. Not making mistakes, when we have a bad day, make sure that we get as many points as possible.
“We can’t afford any more zeros in the championship.”
To make Perez’s recovery that much harder, he’s revealed that the team aren’t planning any further “big upgrades”, handing a big advantage to Aston Martin, Mercedes and Ferrari.
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As a result, the Red Bull driver is expecting the Milton Keynes-based team to lose their advantage race-by-race, with others continuing to introduce developments.
“I think everyone is closing up the gap,” Perez said. “We’re not really bringing big upgrades anymore.
“So I do expect people to get closer every single weekend.”