Perez: "It's only going to help next year so that's my target"

When Perez was confronted with statements made by Charles Leclerc who allegedly said at Zandvoort that he does not feel Red Bull can be beaten under the current regulations, the Mexican replied: "I think it's quite early to say when you see the sort of jumps that teams like McLaren can do from where they were in the beginning of the season to where they are now. It only takes another team to make such an improvement. I wouldn't think that and we are not thinking like that. We are really working hard."

Breaking Verstappen's run

Red Bull - as we know - won all the races this season. Verstappen won the last eight races, and Perez just went through a more difficult phase. He has been able to use the summer break to reset, and he hopes to break his teammate's run. Preferably as early as this weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix.

"Yeah, certainly it hasn't been easy for me because I know the car potential. Max has been exploiting that but when you don't really have that feeling it's not an easy situation as a driver to be in. But certainly we got a great race car and we just have to make sure we utilise it because you never know when you're going to have a car that is as good as this one," Perez told GPblog and others.

Perez wants to finish second

The 33-year-old driver is currently second in the world championship. The title is out of sight, but there is still everything to fight for. Indeed, never before has Perez finished second in the World Championship. Will he succeed in keeping closest rivals Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton behind him? "I mainly focus on myself. There are ten races and I just want to get some victories and get that consistency that we had in the last two races and finish the season very strong. It's only going to help next year so that's my target."