Perez sets ambitious Las Vegas target after alarming Red Bull slump

Sergio Perez is eyeing victory in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, believing the track shares characteristics with his favoured Azerbaijan. 

Perez has not won a race since the 2023 Azerbaijan GP, with his alarming slump in form this season meaning his Red Bull seat is under threat, having not scored a podium since April's Chinese GP, and scoring only 48 points in the 15 weekends since Miami. 

This form has seen Red Bull slip to third in the constructors, but the Mexican did perform well during the recent Baku race and was a legitimate podium threat having out-performed Max Verstappen all weekend before a late crash with Carlos Sainz put both out.

The Las Vegas strip circuit shares some similarities to Baku with the long 1.2-mile blast down the strip itself leading into a heavy braking zone, with tight, technical sections also following. 

It is this combination that Perez is banking on to deliver a strong result.

"Last year, we were quite strong in the race, so I think we are getting back onto our front foot," Perez told media including RacingNews365.

"Baku for example was quite strong, and [this track] has a lot of similarities to Baku, so I do expect us to be definitely in the fight for victory - and that will also be important in the constructors' championship.

"We should be in a much better position than we were in Sao Paulo - but that was a lot stronger than the results showed.

"More in the race, the way you look after the tyre, the way you push the tyre under braking, and it was really difficult to break the DRS from the car behind.

"So probably the best thing was to be in the DRS [of the car ahead], save the tyres and so in that regard, it is a little bit similar to Baku."