Perez gives himself a grade after first half of season

The absolute highlight for Perez so far was his victory in the Monaco Grand Prix. The Mexican's victory tally remained at one, with five more second places. Perez retired three times, two of which were mechanical. The 32-year-old driver gives himself the grade 7, because he has made a few mistakes.

Busy first half of season

"The first part of the season was intense, you could only catch your breath in between and then it went on again. We have to make sure that after the summer break we maintain our level and continue to deliver race after race," said Perez, who also had to deal with the issues surrounding his contract extension. "It was good to extend it for two years at the end of May, it creates a lot of peace. I feel comfortable and at home in the team."

There are 'only' nine weekends scheduled for the second part of 2022. Yet there are still some very nice posters on the programme, according to Perez."I'm particularly looking forward to Japan, because we haven't raced at Suzuka for almost three years. The race weekends in Austin and in my home country in Mexico City will also be a blast. And I'm sure the Dutch fans will turn Zandvoort into a madhouse."

Tough job for Perez

It will be difficult for Perez to become world champion. The gap to teammate Max Verstappen is already 85 points. The RB18 seems to have developed more in the direction of Verstappen, so Perez will have to change his tune-up after the summer break if he wants to win.