Sergio Pérez is ready for the challenge of Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit, with the Racing Point F1 Team driver aiming for a second consecutive top-ten finish in 2019.
Pérez began the year outside the points in the Australian Grand Prix but claimed his first point of the season two weeks ago in Bahrain, and he is ready for the technical challenge this weekend, where he knows even the smallest mistakes, particularly at turn one, can be extremely costly.
“I enjoy every visit to Asia and Shanghai is a really cool city,” said Pérez. “We see some really enthusiastic fans and that gives me great energy for the weekend. I don’t get enough time to really explore the city, but I always try the local food.
“The track itself is a challenge. When I think of China, I think of turn one. It’s a tricky corner: very long and it is difficult to be precise, so even the smallest mistake through there is costly and frustrating. It’s a front limited track, so you need to find a balance to get the front tyres working through the long and quick corners. It’s a very technical track generally.”
With the Chinese race being Formula 1’s one-thousandth Grand Prix, Pérez remembers his first live experience of the sport back in 2012, while he reminisces about his most memorable moment of his career to date, feeling his second place finish for the Sauber F1 Team in the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix was an extremely exciting moment.
“As it’s the 1000th race, I’ve been thinking about some of the races I remember watching when I was younger,” said the Mexican. “The first race I attended as a fan was Indianapolis in 2002 when I was twelve years old. It was the prize after winning a karting race in Miami organised by Juan Pablo Montoya.
“As a driver, the most memorable F1 race for me was probably Malaysia 2012. It was my second year in F1 and I finished on the podium in second place after a fantastic battle with Fernando Alonso. I watched a video of that race a few weeks ago and it’s still just as exciting today.
“The weather changed all the strategies and I was catching the Ferrari in the final laps. I think it was a great race for the fans.”
