Perez sought help to regain his confidence

Sergio Perez started the season confidently – after the first five races he was only 14 points behind Max Verstappen in the individual championship. However, then the Mexican Red Bull Racing driver’s results fell sharply and he started to lose badly to his teammate. Sergio Perez said he sought help from a psychology coach last summer to regain confidence in his own abilities.

Sergio Perez: “At the beginning of the season the car suited me perfectly, but it kept changing and after the race in Miami it went downhill. I had a car at my disposal that was not suitable for me and I failed to reach the final qualification several times. This led to a decrease in confidence, which made me a worse pilot.

In the summer I had serious problems. At the beginning of June I was still fighting for the title, but then everything changed. And I pilot without confidence in my abilities. At one point I couldn’t even make it to the second part of qualifying. It was very difficult because when you play for a leading team the pressure builds up very quickly.

But I didn’t give up and continued to work with the engineers to solve the problems. My confidence returned when I realized that earlier this year I was winning races based on my own speed. I am once again convinced that I will try to fight for the title next year.

Formula 1 is not just a sport for me, but a passion, my life. When things are so tough at work, it’s hard to be cheerful at home with your wife and children. So I started working with a mental health coach because my family deserves to have a fun dad in their home. I have worked with my coach to become the best version of myself not only at home, but also on the court.

As a result, I regained my positive outlook. I am already 33 years old, but I still study every day. Not only on the track, but also off it. This is partly why I never get tired of Formula 1. It’s amazing how much the sport continues to give me.”

Sergio Perez added that he wants to end his Formula 1 career with Red Bull Racing: “I am grateful to Red Bull for the opportunity to drive for a leading team. After all, I wasn’t in their youth program, but they took me anyway. It would be great to end my career with this team.

It’s not easy being a Red Bull Racing driver as the team operates a little differently than most others, but that’s what makes them so successful.

In my opinion they take a slightly different approach to building the car than other teams, and you have to get used to that. In addition, my teammate is Max Verstappen and that must also be taken into account. Only a few riders can withstand such pressure. Sometimes I call my position in the team the most difficult job in Formula 1.”