Sergio Perez and Red Bull enter the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend looking to return to top form after a run of challenging events.
Sergio Perez has surprisingly claimed the Baku and Singapore street circuits sit as the tracks that best suit Red Bull's package for the remainder of the year, despite its recent shortcomings at layouts of a similar nature.
The reigning F1 champions have endured a difficult run of form of late, failing to take a race victory since the Spanish Grand Prix in June.
Red Bull has voiced concerns about its form around street tracks for some time. Last year, it missed out on a clean sweep of race wins when it was beaten at Singapore by Ferrari.
Red Bull's margin to McLaren in the constructors' championship this year has shrunk to just eight points during its difficult run, while Ferrari still poses a threat as it lies 39 points behind in the standings.
A challenging race last time out at Monza saw Max Verstappen and Perez finish in sixth and eighth respectively. However, the latter is expecting a boost in performance this weekend in Baku and the following event from Singapore.
“I think at the moment, with the current package we have, these two should be our best tracks,” Perez told media including RacingNews365.
Explaining as to why, he added: "I do expect us to look more competitive here [Baku].
“If we are able to fix the issue, then we can get back into contention because it's something that can bring a lot of lap time to us.”
With this year's race in Baku being the eighth F1 event around the circuit, Perez remains the only driver to have won in Azerbaijan more than once, claiming victories in 2021 and again last year.
“Definitely, the confidence is high in this place but at the same time, I know that what you've done in the past, it doesn't matter,” Perez added.
“It’s a whole new challenge and I really hope that I can find the right balance around this place because you need a lot of confidence.
“If I'm able to do that, then it should be a strong weekend.”
