Sergio Perez revealed that he would like to follow in Max Verstappen’s footsteps and compete in challenges at the Nurburgring circuit, after following the Dutchman’s participation in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring. The Mexican stated that he has already had experiences on the German track during his Formula BMW days and said that driving there is something ‘very fun’.
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The statement from the Cadillac driver in Formula 1 came this Thursday (21), before the Canadian GP. Verstappen participated last weekend in the traditional endurance race alongside Jules Gounon, Dani Juncadella, and Lucas Auer, but the quartet ended up out of the fight for victory after a failure in the transmission axle of the Mercedes AMG GT3.
Perez said he followed the performance of his former teammate on social media and showed enthusiasm for what he saw: “It was quite interesting. It looked really fun,” said the Mexican when commenting on Verstappen’s experience on the German circuit.
When asked if he would like to face the iconic Nordschleife-Nurburgring circuit in the future, with more than 20 km in length, where the 24-hour race took place, Perez responded positively and recalled curious stories from the beginning of his career: “It would be very fun. I really like that circuit and I have already driven there,” he said.
The Mexican driver explained that he used to take advantage of the periods when he competed in Formula BMW in Germany to do some laps on the legendary track using rented cars: “When I raced in Formula BMW in Germany, I always took my rented car for one or two laps on the Nordschleife. It is really very fun.”
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When asked if he managed to return the cars intact after these laps, Perez burst out laughing before answering: “Not always,” joked the Mexican.
Perez also spoke about Cadillac’s evolution in its first season in Formula 1. Despite the difficulties imposed by the new regulations, the driver highlighted that the team started the championship consistently and managed to finish the first four races.
According to him, the first update package introduced in Miami brought positive signs, mainly in understanding the car: “It was a very good step in Miami, not so much in terms of performance, but in understanding the package. That is what will allow us to improve what we currently have and optimize every area,” he added.
The Mexican also explained what the main points Cadillac needs to develop are: “There is a lot of pure aerodynamic downforce missing, the correct sensitivity in the race, and also the way we are working with the tires. That is the next big step for us, because we managed to fight with other cars for a few laps, but then we ended up wearing out the tires very quickly,” he concluded.
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