Formula One Fantasy - Sauber’s Sergio Perez
Slamming into a barrier during qualifying and having to watch what would have been your first Monaco Grand Prix from a hospital bed is about as far from the dream scenario as you can get. But it’s exactly what Sauber’s Sergio Perez had to endure in Monte Carlo last month. Before his accident, Perez found time to reveal his Formula One fantasies, which include battling team mate Ayrton Senna around a track in his native Mexico and celebrating his first world title with a tipple of Tequila…
Q: You must choose a city for a new Formula One street circuit - which city, anywhere in the world, do you choose, and why?
Sergio Perez: Definitely Guadalajara in Mexico. It would be the best race Formula One has ever seen! (laughs)
Q: If you could choose one former world champion as your team mate, who would you choose and why?
SP: Ayrton Senna. For me he is the best driver ever. From the stories that I’ve heard about him, about how he led and pushed his teams forward, he would be my man. Learning from the best is what brings you forward. But I would want him as a team mate for only a few races - otherwise he probably would beat me all the time. And it is not good when your team mate outperforms you all the time.
Q: Formula One innovations of the past - ground effect, active suspension, turbocharging, six wheels, the list goes on. If you could bring back one past innovation, what would it be and why?
SP: I would want to introduce something totally new to Formula One - the reverse grid like we had in GP2. That would help a lot, in our position, to have even better results.
Q: What innovations would you like to see in the future?
SP: Faster engines. I think this, together with the new tyres and the rear wing, would improve the show even further.
Q: You can only drive at one circuit for the rest of your life - which circuit, past or present from anywhere in the world, do you choose?
SP: Monaco. Actually I like this circuit. You have to be at the limit - and you feel the limit.
Q: Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Tyrrell, March are just some of the teams that have departed the sport. Which former team would you most liked to have raced with and why?
SP: Maybe Alfa Romeo. I like their cars.
Q: You have to design a new F1 circuit, combining all your favourite corners from other tracks around the world. Which three corners are top of your list and why?
SP: Copse, the first corner at Silverstone, Turn Nine from Barcelona, Turkey’s Turn Eight and some sections of the Monaco track like the chicane after the tunnel. That would make a great circuit.
Q: You can travel back in time and compete in any decade of Formula One racing, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Which decade would you choose and why?
SP: The 1980s, with Ayrton Senna. I would really love to race against him.
Q: What current Formula One regulation would you most like to change and why?SP: Probably take away the KERS and look for other things to improve the show and to make overtaking easier.
Q: If you could pick two Formula One greats of the past (from different eras) to watch race against each other, whom would you pick?
SP: I would like to see Fernando Alonso against Senna, with both driving for the same team.
Q: If you were a team boss, which current driver would you pick first for your team?
SP: I would pick myself first - as I’d be a driving team boss - and then I would dream of having Senna alongside me, which means that I would take Alonso out…
Q: Just 19 of the world’s motor racing circuits feature on the current F1 calendar. You can add one more. Which circuit do you pick and why?
SP: I would love to race at Imola. I have never raced there but I would love to have the experience, even knowing that overtaking is almost impossible there.
Q: You are having a dinner party and can invite four people from the world of motorsport, past or present. Who do you invite?
SP: Stefano Domenicali and Enzo Ferrari - that alone would make a great conversation - and also Ron Dennis and Niki Lauda. That would make my evening.
Q: You are given the chance to drive any legendary Formula One car of the past (excluding those made by your own team). Which car would you choose?
SP: Ayrton Senna’s McLaren - the one that he won the world championship in. I saw the video of the one lap he did in Monaco - gee, that was a special car!
Q: Rooftop swimming pool, bowling alley, revolving sushi bar - just some of the features most F1 motorhomes don’t possess. If you could add one thing to your team’s motorhome, what would it be?SP: Definitely a swimming pool. After a hot race it would be terrific to jump in and do some strokes!
Q: Imagine you have just won the world title. Where would you go for your celebratory meal, and what would choose from the menu?
SP: I’d go to Guadalajara and order a big bottle of Tequila Cuervo and no food. Who cares about food!
Credit: Formula One Administration Ltd (www.formula1.com)
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