Sergio Perez is defiant over his Formula 1 title ambitions, believing his early season form can be used as a template against Max Verstappen.
After four races, Verstappen and Perez had two wins apiece, with the reigning champion six points ahead in the standings.
However, just three races later, Verstappen now enjoys a 53-point advantage in the standings following a blip in Perez's form, including scoring no points in Monaco and only 12 in Spain while Verstappen hauled 51 from 52.
Despite the points gap ballooning and Verstappen looking set for a third straight world title, Perez still believes he can defeat the Dutchman.
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Perez's defiance
"I've been a match for Max since the beginning of the season," Perez told media, before the Spanish Grand Prix, when asked by RacingNews365 if he believed he could beat Verstappen.
"One way or another, sometimes [I've been] better or worse, and it's what I believe you have to be.
"Being teammates with Max, it's probably the toughest thing you can have, because he's a driver that [doesn't have many faults], but I do believe that it's possible to beat him.
"The speed is there. If the [Monaco Qualifying] crash hadn't happened, and I was half-a-second off the pace, then I would be more concerned," he added.
"But the positive thing is we have been able to swing things around and I want to get victories on my side.
"I have adapted a lot better to the new car [than from 2021 to 2022].
"I understand the weaknesses we had last year, so we are approaching the race week, and then the race is already at a much higher level in terms of preparation and understanding.
"That's a main positive of the season so far."
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