Perez: Not here to be liked

Saturday 15th June 2013

Perez: Not here to be liked

Sergio Perez admits he's feeling "frustrated" these days, although that has more to do with the lack of results than continued criticism.

Last season with Sauber Perez was fighting for podium finishes but this season with McLaren he's just battling for points.
In seven races the Mexican driver has netted just 12 points while the team's dismal showing in Canada brought an end to their run of 64 races in the points.
However, that's not the only issue facing Perez these days.
The McLaren driver was also heavily criticised by rivals in the wake of the Monaco Grand Prix with Kimi Raikkonen even suggesting that someone should "hit him in the face."
But while the race results - or lack thereof - are frustrating Perez, he insists he's just brushing the criticism aside.
"I feel frustrated; I feel that my performance with McLaren has been good," Perez told ESNPF1.
"I have total support from my team, which as a driver is very important; to count on your team's support.
"And about the criticism, I believe everyone has their own point of view.
"I'm not here to be liked by everyone, I'm in Formula One to fight for my team - in whatever team I'm in - and if that causes criticism I don't care."
As for McLaren's woes, Perez believes correlation differences between the wind tunnell and the track are hurting the team's chances of a recovery.
"I believe that the main problem and what has caused these results is the car performance.
"In terms of vehicle aerodynamics we have way less than expected, we have a problem with the wind tunnel. The wind tunnel is telling us one thing but the reality on the track is much different, so it's very hard to work like that.
"In this scenario you have to test many things on the track in order to have a good correlation with the wind tunnel."