Hidden in the smoke of expired Red Bull or Honda (or whatever they are called now) Power Units is the fact that Sergio Perez scored his first-ever pole position start for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix a month ago.
If ever there was a statement made, it was that Saturday evening around the treacherously tricky and unforgiving Jeddah Street Circuit, Perez defied the odds by claiming the top spot start and with it sent the message in no uncertain terms: I have upped my qualifying game!
The Mexican veteran, paired with Max Verstappen who is arguably the fastest driver of this generation, proved to be no easy task and will never be. Last year, his first with Red Bull proved tricky for Checo and he knew in the winter he had to up his Saturday performances to have a slight chance of matching Max.
Furthermore, if he could not beat Verstappen then Perez had to at least finish very close behind him. So far it is mission accomplished, amid far too many DNFs in the first three races for the mighty but fragile Red Bull RB18, Perez in fact leads his World Champion teammate ahead of Round 4 at Imola this weekend.
Looking ahead to the 2022 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Perez said of his season to date: "I am pleased with how I have been performing so far and getting on the podium for the first time this season in Melbourne was a step in the right direction.
Perez: I want to continue to improve in all areas
"I won’t stop there, I need and want to be there weekly for the Team and for myself," insisted Perez who will want to avoid the race he had last year at the iconic Italian venue, he was 12th while teammate Verstappen romped to a classy victory.
Perez continued: "I am looking forward to getting back in the car this weekend. It was a mixed few days in Australia for the Team but for me, I managed another consistent weekend, after my pole and fourth place in Jeddah."
Looking ahead to the weekend at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo & Dino Ferrari, Perez said: "We go back to the sprint format this weekend and I will be aiming to pick up the most points possible. That all comes from a good qualifying performance on Friday, and I hope to hook it up again in Italy.
"It looks like it could rain this weekend so that will play a part and I want to learn from the performance I had in Imola in the wet last season and continue to improve in all areas," concluded the 32-year-old, who lies fourth in the F1 drivers' standings after three rounds.
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