Sergio Perez believes he has demonstrated his pace has returned in recent races, most notably in São Paulo at the weekend.

The Mexican was third in the F1 Sprint before losing out in an epic battle with Fernando Alonso to finish fourth on Sunday.

But while he was again some distance behind team-mate Max Verstappen, who won for the 17th time in 2023, he showed strong pace and racecraft that has been missing at points.

“I think the pace has been there for the last few weekends, but for some reason or another, we haven’t been able to pull it all together,” Perez argued.

“I think it is just a matter of time before it will come.”

Perez was fourth in Interlagos, while Lewis Hamilton, with whom he is battling for second in the drivers’ championship, was eighth.

It leaves the pair split by 32 points with two races remaining, tipping the scales in favour of the Red Bull pilot.

“It’s a good weekend in the championship because we’re getting closer to that second spot,” Perez observed.

“Now let’s look forward to Vegas. I believe it’s just a matter of time before we are able to show what we have got.

“I would have liked to be on the podium,” he added, “but I’m also, I have to say it hurts, losing, but I think I’m happy for Fernando because he did a good race.”

Perez has endured a tough season in which he has struggled for pace compared to his team-mate.

After winning two of the opening four races he looked poised to offer some resistance to Verstappen for the title.

Beaten comprehensively in Miami, he then crashed in Monaco as his confidence suffered.

He then struggled to recapture his early form which opened the door for speculation on his future.

That accelerated with the impressive form of Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri following his return to F1, notably following his second comeback after breaking a bone in his hand.

“I think after Qatar, when I went back to the team, we understood a lot of things we were doing wrong,” Perez opined of his pace gains.

“Since then, I think Austin was just…we compromised a bit the weekend but since then, even Mexico was quite good – I mean, I went off, but I was very close to the lead.

“So, all in all, I think we are really making good progress.”