Sergio Perez heads to the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend with high expectations after the team have seen promising progress recently. The Sahara Force India driver finished the British Grand Prix in sixth behind the Scuderia Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen. Like many drivers, Perez was caught out by the slippery surface at the first corner. Without this spin, Perez believes he could have finished at Silverstone in fifth.
“We have been strong in the last few races,” said Perez. “But after some very fast tracks like Austria and Silverstone we head to the Hungaroring, which is the complete opposite to them.
“The weekend in Budapest is one I find very enjoyable: there’s a nice atmosphere in the paddock and everyone’s a fan of this beautiful city. Unfortunately, this year the race is not the final one before the summer break: in the past we usually had a big celebration on Sunday night and the mood there was always great, regardless of whether your result was good or bad. I have a lot of great memories from those parties! I hope there is still one this year as it’s a great way to release a lot of the tension after the race.
After Monaco, Perez believes Hungary is the second most important race for track position as there’s few overtaking opportunities. He believes the weekend will be challenging and hopes for better fortunes at the Hungaroring this year.
“I really like Hungary and its interesting culture. The locals really love Formula One too and there’s always a big crowd in the grandstands. It’s a track with few overtaking opportunities so qualifying is important. It’s probably the second most important race for track position after Monaco. I think it will be a challenging weekend, but we know we can be competitive on every track. I haven’t had a lot of luck there in the past, so I hope for better fortunes this year.”
