Perez’s eyes fixed on race wins after Imola podium

Sergio Perez feels victories can come his way this season after Red Bull’s first 1-2 finish for five-and-a-half years at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

As surprising as it perhaps seems, you have to go all the way back to October 2016 and the Malaysian Grand Prix to find the last time Red Bull took first and second, that being via Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen.

This time, at Imola, it was Verstappen on the top step of the podium and Perez next to him as Red Bull ate into the championship leads held by Ferrari and Charles Leclerc.

Great race and really happy with the 1-2 for this great team!

A very intense race in which making a mistake was too easy. See you in Miami!@redbullracing pic.twitter.com/ebJ7Ir9L9C

— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) April 24, 2022

Due to their reliability issues in Bahrain and Australia, Red Bull now trail by 11 points in the Constructors’ standings while Verstappen has closed to within 27 of Leclerc in the Drivers’, with the Monegasque having dropped from third to finish sixth at Imola following a spin 10 laps from the end.

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Being the reigning World Champion and the driver they base the team around, Verstappen will clearly be Red Bull’s main hope of taking plenty more victories this season that would go a long way towards retaining his crown.

But with a pair of second-place finishes and a P4 this term, Perez is