[Auto] Sergio "Checo" Pérez and the fight for the Formula 1 title: "It will be an intense fight"

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(CNN Spanish) -- The second Formula 1 race in Miami has generated great expectations and without a doubt one of the drivers to follow is Sergio "Checo" Pérez. The Mexican aboard his RedBull is second in the drivers' championship, fighting side by side with his teammate and defending champion, Max Verstappen, and more competitive than ever. In a relaxed and cheerful chat, El Checo told us about his expectations for Miami, the championship, the athletes he admires and even his taste for cars and watches.

Elizabeth Pérez: Sergio, what a pleasure to have you in Miami and I want to start by congratulating you on that great weekend you had in Baku.

Sergio "Checo" Pérez-RedBull F1 driver: Yes, thank you very much. It was very good. First Saturday and then Sunday. It was a perfect weekend, where we took all the points and it was very good. After a bad weekend we had in Australia, this was very good because we dominated the whole weekend.

It has been a tremendous start to the season. Two wins so far out of four races, three, and we count the sprint as well. To what do you attribute this success?

I think the team has given us an incredible car. We have a super competitive car and I also feel more and more adapted to the team. I think last year I had a good car, but I was having a hard time, especially the handling of the tyres. Everything that I had done in my career when I came to Red Bull was very different. So I've had to adapt and learn a lot and I think last year helped me a lot for all that and today I feel much more confident in the car.

The next stop is the Miami Grand Prix. What expectations do you have for yourself and the team?

We come to win. That is the objective, to win this weekend. Keep up that good time. In Formula One it goes very fast, what happened on Sunday is already totally forgotten. And now we are 100% focused on this weekend.

Do you feel that having already raced in this circuit is going to help you in any way?

Yes, definitely. I think it will help. Now the teams arrive much more prepared than we were last year. The drivers too, because it was a bit of a surprise that we arrived and it was one of the most physically demanding races, with all the heat it was. So I think that in that part we all arrived more prepared as well.

Being in Miami, which is a city that has so many Latinos, so many people who follow motorsports, how have you been received on this second occasion?

Czech: Incredible, really. I love it. Miami. Whenever I come here I really enjoy it. This time I took advantage because I came a little a few days before. So I love it. It is undoubtedly one of the best places that Formula One visits then and with the entire Latino community, many Mexicans. I have many friends here. So I really like this city.

I had the opportunity to share with you last year in Mexico and I saw that fascination they have for you, obviously because you are the Mexican representative in Formula One, the most successful in how you describe the Mexican fan.

He is very passionate, he gives himself totally and is always with you. The truth is that they are very, very faithful through thick and thin, through thick and thin, they are always there and they live very intensely. They live it intensely. It is a great passion with which we Mexicans live.

Are fans your favorite?

Yes, definitely. Definitely. The affection that I receive in my country I do not receive anywhere. I also have to say that in Miami they welcome me very well. I have a lot of support, but more Latino, it's like more of the Latino part and it's something I didn't expect.

Obviously in your career we have seen that there is an ease for what street tracks are. What is your favorite circuit?

Yes, definitely. I really like street tracks, I always have, but in general I like all circuits. Driving a Formula One at any circuit you go to is incredible.

The fight for the pilots' championship and its preparation
You are in second place, you are six points behind your team-mate Max (Verstappen). Taking into account that we are at the beginning of the season, how do you see the fight for the championship for the drivers' title?

Well, I think it's going to be an intense fight. It's going to be very important not to make mistakes, to win when we can and when we can't, to ensure that we finish as high as possible. We cannot have bad weekends because that is going to be what is going to determine the drivers' championship. And besides, we also have to improve the race, the race to be more and more competitive, minimize errors.

Motorsport is a very precise sport in which every detail counts. How do you prepare yourself mentally to face each appointment?

I believe that the important thing in Formula One is to reset every day, regardless of whether you have a very good day or a bad day, in the end tomorrow you have a new opportunity to do better. And that's the important thing, not always improve. Race, race, practice, practice. Because if you don't evolve for a year it's hard to fight for victories.

A perfect day for Sergio Pérez in competition

 

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