Will Perez be there again in Qatar? 'I'd like to show that on the track'

Sergio Perez is heading into the Qatar Grand Prix weekend in good spirits. Whereas the Mexican had a dramatic weekend in Suzuka, where everything went wrong that could go wrong, he is determined to show why Red Bull became world champions with him too. Qatar is a race weekend with both a sprint race and the Grand Prix on Sunday, Perez is looking forward to both.

For the next race weekend, the Red Bull driver sees plenty of opportunities. He begins, "Qatar is a chance to get back to racing for me with two opportunities to win across the weekend. The Sprint format always throws up challenges when it comes to setting the car up, so we will work hard together to ensure we are ready for qualifying on Friday night." Perez does see some factors that will keep him alert. He says that grip in particular will be affected by the sand on the track.

The Qatar Grand Prix will be run in the evening, mainly because of the high temperatures in the country. Perez likes an evening race but sees the need to manage in the scorching hot race weekend to get the most out of the car on all three days. The Mexican is confident that this will be achieved: "We are coming into this race as World Champions, and for me personally, I would like to show that out on track."

With six races to go, the battle for second place in the drivers' championship is not yet decided. Perez is currently second, but Lewis Hamilton is 33 points behind him. Another disastrous weekend for the Red Bull driver could throw the championship battle wide open again.