Austrian GP: I haven’t lost it, says Perez after sprint second
The HinduMexican Sergio Perez reminded his Formula One critic that he remains a contender after finishing second in an Austrian Grand Prix sprint on Saturday. The Red Bull driver has failed to stand on the podium for three races in a row and on Friday qualified outside the top 10 for Sunday’s race at the Red Bull Ring for the fourth race in a row. “I haven’t lost it, you know, you don’t go from winning races to all of a sudden being a very bad driver,” Perez told reporters when asked how good the result was for his confidence. Many drivers have had that but it seems to be even bigger when a Red Bull driver has it.” Perez won two of the first four races and had been poised to take the championship lead from Verstappen in Miami in May when it all started to go wrong. That was his last podium appearance and Verstappen has now won four races in a row with Red Bull’s run of success extending to a nine-win streak including the last round of 2022.