Perez admits Verstappen 'challenge' in 2024 title run

Sergio Perez believes it will be a "challenge" to beat Max Verstappen in 2024, as he targets a championship in his fourth year with the team.

The Mexican finished runner-up in the Drivers' Championship after Verstappen scored over twice as many points, with the former looking to improve his form.

Perez started the 2023 season by taking two poles and two victories in the first five races, but he struggled to stay competitive against Verstappen as the season went on.

Inconsistent performances in qualifying often put him out of position in the races, with him only taking two victories out of Red Bull's dominant 21 victories out of 22 Grands Prix.

Perez: That's my main target

With Perez adamant that he does not want to play second fiddle to Verstappen, he is targeting a much more consistent season.

“That’s the main target for me because I’ve already finished second,” said Perez.

“My main interest is to do one better. I’m aware of the challenge that it is, we’ve got to really take this winter time to try to start the season on a high and be able to maintain that level of consistency throughout the season.”

Perez believes there is lot he can learn from Verstappen to eventually beat him on track and mount a credible challenge.

“Definitely there are things you learn from [Verstappen],” explained Perez.

“Obviously I have the best reference out there because he was the one who was so competitive, so I think there’s no harm in looking at what he’s doing, how he’s doing it, try to learn and improve.

“[You can] see what works for you, what he’s doing differently to you. I’ve always had a very open approach and I think it’s something that works well.”