Sergio Perez said he should be leading the Formula One championship and saw himself as a true title contender after beating Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen to victory in Azerbaijan on Sunday.
The pair now have two wins apiece after four rounds of a 23-race season, with Red Bull clearly in a league of its own.
Perez is six points behind Verstappen, the two-time reigning champion, due to finishing fifth in Australia, a race the Dutch driver won, after problems in qualifying.
¡°Having three kids at home, I wouldn¡¯t be traveling around the world if I didn¡¯t believe that I can be a world champion and I¡¯m working toward that,¡± Perez said after Red Bull¡¯s third 1-2 finish of the season.
¡°There is so much you can talk outside the car, it¡¯s important to deliver on the track and I think without the issues we had in qualifying in Melbourne we should be leading the championship.
¡°So definitely there is everything to believe that we can do well this year.¡±
Perez won in Saudi Arabia and finished second in the season opener in Bahrain.
Sunday¡¯s win in Baku was helped by the safety car, but Perez still made the most of the opportunity to become the first driver to win at the track.
¡°We are just pushing each other massively, and I think this year is about not making those mistakes,¡± said Perez, who also won the first sprint race of the season in Baku on Saturday.
¡°I am fighting for it,¡± the Mexican said of the championship. ¡°But I also know it¡¯s a long road ahead.¡±
While the No. 1 on Verstappen¡¯s car reflects a de facto status within the team, Perez is keeping him in his sights with his best start to a season.
The Mexican has yet to win more than twice in a season, while Verstappen is a 37-time winner, but has clearly raised his game.
¡°I think we delivered under pressure massively because every single session was so critical in this (sprint weekend) format,¡± said Perez. ¡°It was really important to deliver when it mattered.
¡°Yesterday we executed a perfect short race and today once again we executed a tremendous race.¡±
Team boss Christian Horner said the Mexican, who has had all but one of his six career wins on street circuits, has been ¡®sensational.¡¯
¡°He¡¯s always been outstanding at this track,¡± he added. ¡°He absolutely excels here. He got a little lucky with the safety car today but then he converted that and pulled a gap and he had the pace and really controlled the race.
¡°A phenomenal drive by him all weekend.¡±
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