‘It was out of my hands’ - Perez recalls struggles after achieving historic 1-2

After a strong start to F1 2023, winning two of the opening four races, Perez’s form dipped after he was beaten by teammate Max Verstappen in Miami.

Perez failed to make Q3 in five consecutive races and podium finishes were a rare occurrence.

During this period, Verstappen went on a 10-race winning streak, effectively wrapping up the title before the summer break.

Perez’s stuttering form meant he was under threat from Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso for P2 in the championship.

Given a lack of consistency amongst the likes of Mercedes, Aston Martin, Ferrari and McLaren, Perez did enough to secure the runners-up spot, giving Red Bull a 1-2 for the first time in their history.

Reflecting on the season, Perez opened up about his struggles with this Red Bull, admitting it really affected his confidence.

"It just makes me look back at the whole season, it's been a really challenging year," Perez said.

"It started really well, fighting for the championship, but then, I think in Barcelona, we had such a dominant car, but I just couldn't set it up properly. It was just getting out of my hands, the confidence was going down.

"To manage to come back and really put together a strong [end to the] year, to be able to constantly be fighting at the top, that really is the highlight of my year."

Perez enjoyed a strong Las Vegas Grand Prix, finishing third after running at the back following damage on the opening lap.

He did have the opportunity to win the race but struggled to pull away from Charles Leclerc before losing out to his teammate and then the Ferrari driver.