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Sergio Perez is confident of proving how mentally strong he is across this weekend’s São Paulo Grand Prix but cannot shake off the speculation surrounding his F1 future.
Four days on from crashing out of his home race in Mexico at the first corner, further fanning the flames as to whether he will be at Red Bull next season despite holding a contract, Perez conceded what unfolded that day was “super painful”.
But it has sparked further gossip as to a potential replacement, with Fernando Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo both being linked.
Perez, though, remains “100 percent confident” he will still be racing in F1 with Red Bull next season.
Asked by Speedcafe whether he was frustrated that despite his own insistence, and that of team principal Christian Horner, that rumours persisted of his exit, he replied: “No, I’ve been in the sport for 13 years, and I know that everyone has a different agenda here – even the journalists. I’m used to it.”
There have also been suggestions Perez is set to negotiate a new deal over the winter, although Speedcafe understands this to be wide of the mark as Red Bull is keen to weigh up its options for next season if Perez is in the car.
“It’s not something I’m thinking about right now, to be honest,” said Perez. “When you are going through a difficult patch you want to focus on the racing side.
“There are so many rumours about my future that I just don’t have any energy for that. I just want to focus on Sunday, and that’s why I have my manager.”
The fact there is another race weekend for Perez to concentrate on so swiftly after what unfolded at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez he concedes is a blessing.
The 33-year-old believes it affords him “a great opportunity…to show how strong I am mentally”.
“As an athlete, you have these sorts of moments,” said Perez. “The most important thing is how you overcome them and how you recover from them.”
Perez has been aided in that quest by the support of Horner and advisor Helmut Marko who refused to admonish their driver for making what was a fundamental error.
“We are all racers, and we all have passion,” said Perez. “Without passion, you cannot do this job.
“Obviously, having the team support is always very important because at the end of the day, we are all in this together. Having all their support always helps, and from all the fans as well.”
