Perez: I am going on holiday with a big smile on my face

2015 turned out to be a very successful year for Sergio Perez, who emerged as one of the quickest and most consistent drivers on the Formula One grid. As the year comes to a close, we caught up with our man from Guadalajara to look back at a full season of racing.

Checo – the winter break is always a good moment to make a balance of the year gone by. How do you rate your season?

I am very happy about the job I have done and I am going on holiday with a big smile on my face. It’s been a really good season, both for me and the team - in fact, it was the best season in history for both. I am very proud of all that we were able to achieve: we worked really hard and after the summer we were able to challenge for some really good results. But I am really proud of what we have done before the break as well. We had some difficult conditions to face but we still went out fighting for points in every race and we brought home some good results.

In such a long season, which were your highlights?

There are so many memories that will stay with me after 2015. Surely, the podium in Russia is a big moment, but nothing beats racing in front of my home crowd in Mexico. What I felt during the drivers’ parade in Mexico City cannot be put down in words – waving at the fans and feeling all their support was something unlike anything I have ever experienced in my career.

Where do you see yourself in 2016? The new season is less than 10 weeks away…

The important thing is to continue growing as a team. We showed we can do it this year and I hope it is the sign of things to come in the future. The expectations are really high after what we did in 2015: repeating our fifth place must be our minimum target, even though it will not be easy, and we have to aim higher. It’s going to take a big effort to do that, and it’s important to be competitive right from the start of the season, in those first rounds where everything can happen. There will be a lot of teams out there trying to beat us but I know we can see them off and put a challenge to the ones ahead of us.

Finally, as we wish you a very Merry Christmas – how will you be spending the winter months?

Getting some rest is a priority, especially after such a long season! I am really looking forward to spending some quiet time at home with my family, celebrating Christmas together. At the same time, I can’t wait to get back to racing: the holidays are a good time to look back at what you have done and see how you can improve. I am still young and developing as a driver, so the aim is to come back even stronger in 2016!