Perez enjoys it: 'Racing against these drivers takes you to a higher level'

Sergio Perez is with a top team for the first time this season, and he is reaping the rewards. The Mexican says he is learning a lot from duels with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen and enjoys the fact that he can compete for victory every weekend.

Perez was given an opportunity early in his career at McLaren. At the time, McLaren was considered a top team, but Perez arrived in 2013 in a year where McLaren fell back. A real chance at the top Perez never got, until he got the redeeming call from Christian Horner in late 2020. Now Perez is fighting every race for the pole, the podium or even victory.

''It's obviously a great boost of motivation throughout the season to come to a race and you know that if you deliver to your maximum, you can end up winning a race. Also, the pressure is on, you know you have to deliver to a very high level. You are competing against the very, very best drivers. Against a very top team like Mercedes,'' says Perez according to Formula1.com.

''The race I had with Hamilton, literally against him, I was fortunate enough to see how good he is. The way he pushes you at the time that he does push you, and then when he saves his tyres, he’s obviously a very, very intelligent guy and the same to Max, you know. Racing these drivers at this level definitely takes you to a new level,'' the Mexican concluded.