Perez claims he, not Verstappen, should be leading the championship

The Mexican got his F1 title challenge back on track with a superb victory in Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix to reduce Verstappen’s championship lead to six points. 

Perez, who was helped by a fortunately-timed Safety Car, is convinced he would have already been leading the drivers’ standings had he not endured a torrid weekend in Melbourne. 

Having crashed out of qualifying with a suspected car issue, Perez was forced to turn in a recovery drive to finish fifth at Albert Park, while Verstappen took the win. 

But Perez bounced back in Baku and scored 33 points out of a maximum 34 across both the sprint and grand prix to enjoy a nine-point swing over Verstappen. 

And Perez’s second win of 2023 has left him feeling bullish about his championship credentials. 

“I think with having three kids at home I wouldn’t be travelling around the world if I didn’t believe I could be a world champion,” Perez told Sky.  

“I’m working towards that, there’s so much you can talk about outside the car, it’s important to deliver on the track. 

"I think with all the issues we had in qualifying in Melbourne we should be leading the championship. So, definitely there is everything to believe we can do well this year.

"I'm fighting for [the championship], but I also know that it's a massive road ahead, so I I need to keep my head down and just keep delivering.”

Perez will be looking to continue his strongest-ever start to an F1 season at next weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.