Sergio Pérez hasn’t hidden his disappointment at missing out on points in the first race of the season. But the Mexican points to an immediate comeback at this weekend’s 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Pérez had qualified in tenth in Australia but fell to thirteenth in the race, four places behind team-mate Lance Stroll. Pérez remains philosophical however, pointing to the long season ahead.
“I’m very motivated to get back to racing in Bahrain,” says Pérez. “Missing out on points in Melbourne was disappointing for me, especially after the great job we did in qualifying, but I always say that it’s not how you start season, but how you finish it. It’s a long year and there are twenty more opportunities to score good points.”
Pérez, who has seen the podium in Bahrain, suggests this weekend’s desert race will see plenty of opportunities for overtaking as well as another closely fought mid-field.
“I think most drivers enjoy the Bahrain circuit. The layout allows a lot of side-by-side racing and you can find few good places to overtake. The part I enjoy the most is sector one – it’s a nice design and if you lose a position in turn one, you can fight back immediately in the following three corners. I’ve had some great battles there over the years and I was on the podium in 2014, which was a special moment in my career.
“I don’t expect an easy race. The track is very technical and the combination of slow and fast corners makes it quite challenging. It can be tough on the brakes and finding your braking points is a challenge. There are some really big stops, especially into turn one. Some of your markers change throughout the weekend as you practice in the sun and race at night.
“The weekend will be another close fight in the middle of the grid, but I think points are achievable. It’s going to be interesting to see how much overtaking happens in the race, because it wasn’t easy in Melbourne.”
