Sergio Perez admits that he is feeling "more prepared" for 2023 as he becomes increasingly comfortable at Red Bull following an "intense" start. The Mexican replaced Alex Albon at the squad for the 2021 season and since then has claimed three wins for the team, as well as finishing a career-best third in the World Championship in 2022. While he was unable to match World Champion teammate Max Verstappen, Perez still feels that he was able to be competitive during the 2022 campaign, despite frequent public outbursts from Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Helmut Marko . "It started very difficult, with the reliability [problems] that we had early on in the beginning of the season," Perez told media, including RacingNews365.com , at the FIA Prize Giving ceremony. "But I think, later on, we were quite competitive. We were very consistent. Then we [had] a few bad races that put us behind Max, but we still managed to get some good points, good podiums, a few wins. "I think we got our season back on track for the final eight or so races, so it was an intense battle towards the end with Charles [Leclerc] and Ferrari [for P2 in the World Championship]."
Perez more comfortable after 'intense' start at Red Bull
Perez will enter into his third season with Red Bull in 2023 and is feeling increasingly comfortable with his team, having found it "tricky" to get to know everyone when he first joined owing to the difficulties posed by the coronavirus pandemic. "It was a lot better [in 2022]," Perez explained when asked how much more comfortable he had been at Red Bull during his second year at the squad. "Getting into a new team is pretty intense, especially joining a new team during the COVID times made it a little bit more difficult. "Getting to know everyone around me was tricky, but I think [there] certainly was a massive difference [in 2022]." As such, the 32-year-old has a positive outlook ahead of the upcoming season. "I can just feel things are getting better," Perez continued. "This morning, I had a good breakfast with all my engineers, and we could already feel that we are so much more prepared every year that we are together, so things [are] heading in the right direction."
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