Perez needs to finish ahead of Verstappen: 'Is definitely important'

Sergio Perez stood with tears in his eyes on the top step of the podium in Monaco in 2022. The Mexican then took his first victory on the narrow streets of the principality. A feat he wants to repeat this weekend, especially after his second place in Miami. Teammate and rival Max Verstappen ran out in the championship in America and Perez needs to keep up in Monaco.

Asked how important it is for him to finish ahead of Verstappen on Sunday, Perez replied in the press conference: "It's certainly important. I don't want him to start building that gap on points. Obviously, every weekend it's a new opportunity to reduce the distance." After five GPs, his Dutch teammate has accumulated 14 more World Championship points.

It is still early in the championship, so the 33-year-old veteran does not expect team orders. "Well, I've already won two races, so certainly I think it's all open. We have full support from our team. And as long as I'm able to deliver the results on the track, weekend by weekend, I do expect to have full support from my team," he reiterated. Helmut Marko and Christian Horner revealed several times in recent weeks that team orders are not going to be an issue for the time being.

Not just fighting with Max

So the goal is to finish ahead of Verstappen, but finishing ahead of Verstappen does not necessarily mean a win in Monaco. Perez expects the necessary competition from the other teams, more so than in the first months of the 2023 season. "I think Fernando, the Ferraris, I expect them to be quite strong. They were in Baku and obviously, over one lap around this place, they will be strong. I do expect them to be quite strong and also Mercedes-Benz can be in the mix," he added.