By Josh Kruse

Interview conducted on the Thursday before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

mahbx.com:
Hi Se꧟rgio, this is the best 🔥start to a season for you so far, what do you think has made it successful?

Sergio Perez:
I think the team. When I look back, I remember the start of the season we were probably one of the slowest teams in the field, and we still managed to achieve great results. Since then we have developed the car and so on, now we are one of the forces in the field, so I'm really happy and confident about the start of the season. Still, there's 12 or so races to𒐪 go, so there's a long way to go.

mahbx.com:
What do you think has𒈔 made the differencꦗe? Momentum from last year maybe?

Sergio Perez:
Yeah, I think being with the 🍨team for so long it definitely helps the confidence, helps the environment and that ma☂kes things a lot easier and a lot better for us.

mahbx.com:
What is your🦋 gꦦoal personally for the end of this season?

Sergio Perez:
To have maximised every single weekend, to have maximised every opportunity that the team gives 💧me, and 💛if I do that I'll be happy.

mahbx.com:
No particular position in mind? Just m꧂ax♊imising weekends?

Sergio Perez:
Just to maximise, because you never know how the season wilℱl unfold and evolve for the next races.

mahbx.com:
Given your recent form ha꧑s been really good, have 💙any top teams been in contact with you?

Sergio Perez:
No, not so far. I think it's still early in the season, but I certainly think that I've been doing a good job. We'll see if that phone cal🍃l comes!

mahbx.com:
Going away from cur﷽rent F1 and back to your early dayꦺs, what was your first memory of motorsport?

Sergio Perez:
Probably watching my first race with my Dad. It was actually when Ayrton had his accident and died, that was my first race. I was quite young, that's my first memor⛎y of mo❀torsport.

mahbx.com:
So what made you choose to get into a go kart?

Sergio Perez:
Yeah I was quite young, and I just started in karting to have fun, and once I realised it🍨 was getting a lot more professional for me, since then it's been step by step, but it's great to look back.

mahbx.com:
How old were you when you first hopped into a kart, and how old when you began racingℱ?

Sergio Perez:
I was six when I first started karting, and then at the ag💧e of 11 was when I started to really do it professionally.

mahbx.com:
How did you mix your racing career with school? Obviously, i𝐆t's a struggle for🌱 most drivers...

Sergio Perez:
It's very difficult, you know in ಌthis business, especially for me coming from Mexico I had to go to Europe at the ꦯage of 15. It's been hard to leave all of your family and all of your friends, all your childhood in your country, it's not easy. You have to cope with it and give it your best shot, and try to follow your dreams.

mahbx.com:
What were your best and worst subjects?

Sergio Perez:
I always did well on the training side and that kind of thing, football, I've always been ꦅa sporty guy sinc𒐪e I was young. Probably the worst I'm not sure, I just didn't love school, so I was never good at doing homework!

mahbx.com:
What was the hardest par꧟t about moving to Europe, aside from leaving your family? We💞re there extra challenges that you were faced with that were different to Mexico?

Sergio Perez:
Definitely, not havi✨ng your people around you, when you have a free day basically I was all on my own. There's not a lot to do, very lonely days, you know? After the weekend of racing I was quite lonely and that was the hardest part for me.

mahbx.com:
So no one came over with you?

Sergio Perez:
It was just me.

mahbx.com:
What do you t🍸hink you might be doing if you weren't an F1 driver?

Sergio Perez:
💎Something related to sport I think. I quite like sport, trying to help out 🌠the athletes or something.

mahbx.com:
Your season with McLaren, you keep sayiꦅng that it was a big learning experience, what exactly did you learn that you implement into your driving today?

Sergio Perez:
I think I've always had speed since I came to Formula 1. But knowing why you are quick and why you are slow, what happens weekend after weekend♛, makes a huge differꦺence to your season and to your career in Formula 1.

That's someth🧸ing I figured ou🅠t what went wrong and I analysed really carefully what happened at my time with McLaren, why it went so wrong.

Firstly, it was because we had a really bad car, secondly because my experience was not as it is now, I was not so analytical. So that side improved a lot. Now, I understand why I'm quick, why I'm slow, and why I have to do things to be quick. When I have 💯a problem, I'm getting out of it quicker than the past, so I think that has improved a lot.

mahbx.com:
Is that down♚ to experience or does that maybe come with age?

Sergio Perez:
I think it's experience. Experience and probably not having the right guida🦩nce at the time.

mahbx.com:
What do you l🐎ike to do to get away from Formula 1🦂 and relax?

Sergio Perez:
I try to separate my life a lot from my profession. It's not easy, I always keep thinking, but once I leave I always try to be a normal man after here. I l⛎ike to play football, I'm just a 27-year-old boy, if I'm at home or in Europe or wherever, I try to do normal stuff, follow my routines, my job, but I try to be as normal as possible and that helps me to forget that I'm a Formula 1 driver.

mahbx.com:
Favourite movie?

Sergio Perez:
Man on fire.

mahbx.com:
Favourite music?

Sergio Perez:
Mexican pop.

mahbx.com:
What was the first "treat yourself" present🅠 you bought when you became an established racing driver?

Sergio Perez:
A watch, I al🍒ways bu🐎y watches when a certain important occasion for me happens. Because I like to keep that memory with me.

mahbx.com:
So you would have a few watches by now?

Sergio Perez:
Yeah, I have a couple of wat🐻ches with me that repres♑ents something.

mahbx.com:
What was the first one you remember buying?

Sergio Perez:
The first one was when I actually got my first-ever bonus🎉 f𒁏or being on the podium in the lower categories.

mahbx.com:
Top three circuits from any racing series?

Sergio Perez:
I like Zandvoort. I like Monaco, and I like Baku.

mahbx.com:
Any circuits that you would like to a🍷dd to the calendar?

Sergio Perez:
Imola, I'd lo🌼ve 🎉to race there because I've never raced there. I think Imola would be nice.

mahbx.com:
Who was the most difficult or satisfying driver you have 🥀raced against in any category?

Sergio Perez:
Probably my team-mates, because𓃲 in this sport you are always competing against your team-mates, that's your first reference. I've had really good team-mates in the past.

mahbx.com:
What are you top three emojis?

Sergio Perez:
The smile face that cries, the good luck thumbs up, and probably ꦛthe 'please' one (praying hands)

mahbx.com:
And finally, what's the worst joke that you know?

Sergio Perez:
I'm always joking around with my friends, I have plenty of jokes thaಞt I've done in past, but I'm not so good at the 'bad' jokes in English!

mahbx.com:
Thanks very much Sergio!

Sergio Perez:
No problem.