Red Bull's Sergio Perez heads into the Australian Grand Prix weekend confident that his fortunes will turn around after the run of bad luck he has endured so far in 2022.
Perez was one lap away from snatching a podium finish in F1's curtain-raiser in Bahrain when his engine cut out due to a fuel pump issue, a problem that also befell his teammate Max Verstappen in the closing stages of the race in Sakhir.
But in Saudi Arabia, after securing his first career pole in F1, Perez was leading the race when he undertook his first tyre change just two laps before a Virtual Safety Car period, an ill-timed event that mitigated his pitstop strategy and allowed his direct rivals to gain time and overhaul the Mexican who eventually finished P4.
In Melbourne, Red Bull's strong form offers Perez another chance to battle at the front along with Verstappen and their Ferrari adversaries. And this time, the two-time Grand Prix winner hopes he'll finally get a break.
"It has been so close in the races so far and the team and I have been unlucky at times, but I am confident that my luck will change this weekend," Perez commented.
"We have a strong package this season and I can’t wait to get in the car again to see what we can do!"
While many drivers flew directly from the Middle-East to Australia, Perez returned to Red Bull's base in Milton Keynes to prepare for this week's race.
"It is great to be back in Melbourne after two years away, it is always a fun place to race," he said.
"The fans are always great and I am sure they are very excited to have Formula 1 in Australia again.
"This year the track layout is new so it will be interesting to see how this fresh generation of cars gets on there.
"I did some simulator work at the beginning of the week on the track and I think the changes should be good for the show, it will make things entertaining."
Looking at the stats, both Verstappen and Perez made their F1 debuts at Albert Park.
Verstappen burst on to the scene in 2015 with Toro Rosso, four years after Perez had finished seventh in his very first Grand Prix driving for Sauber.
However, it was an unlucky debut for Checo who was disqualified from the event for a technical infringement!
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