Q&A with Sergio Perez

Sergio, did you manage to escape somewhere warm during the winter months?

“I’ve spent the last few months in Mexico with my family, my friends and my dogs. It’s important to switch off for a few weeks and relax after an intense season of racing. I prefer to do my fitness training in Mexico in the warm weather. My trainer, Xavi, has been with me for the last few weeks to help me get ready for the start of the season.”

You said 2015 was your best season in Formula One – what was the secret to such a successful campaign?

“I think as a team we did an excellent job. There was no secret apart from hard work and taking the opportunities. It was around the time of Spa that I made an important breakthrough with the set-up. After that I felt very comfortable with the b-spec car and it gave me more and more confidence.”

Can you carry this form into the new season?

“I think this is the best moment in my career so far. I am confident; I am driving consistently and the results are coming. So that’s the best way to start the new season. I also think the experience I have counts for a lot. I’ve done nearly 100 races, which gives me the belief to make the right decisions at the track. Even when you have a difficult day in the car, you need to draw on that experience and remember that things can turn around quickly.”

What are your first impressions of your new car, the VJM09?

“The rules are the same this year so there are no big changes with the cars. I think that will really work in our favour. We did a lot of experimentation in the final few races of last year, especially in Abu Dhabi, to try some new directions with the set-up and that worked really well. I think this year we need to be brave and continue experimenting to unlock more and more performance.”

You appear to be very comfortable at Force India. How important is that feeling of harmony…

“It’s my third season with Force India – that’s the longest time I’ve spent with any Formula One team. I like the way we do things: it’s a very open environment and we work well together. There is a lot of respect from both sides and I can simply focus on my driving. When I think back to 2014, the disappointment of what happened at McLaren was still quite fresh and it took me half a season to refocus and put that behind me. Now I feel I’m in a very good place and I’m much stronger mentally. I’ve grown up as a person and a driver.”

What do you think of the new tyres rules with three different compounds per weekend?

“I think it will create plenty of opportunities during the race, especially in the beginning of the year when it’s something new for all of us. I think it’s going to be interesting for the fans because it will add something new to the race weekend to see if anybody can use the rules to their advantage. I think it’s important for Formula One to bring in this regulation to introduce an element of change and add something unpredictable.”