Perez finished second in the 2023 championship on just under half the number of points of team-mate Max Verstappen, who took an unprecedented 19 race wins as Red Bull enjoyed total dominance with its RB19.
Following a bright start in which he won two races and ran Verstappen close in the standings, the wheels fell off Perez's championship challenge by June and his persistent struggles caused increased speculation over his future with the team, with his current deal expiring after 2024.
Perez, who candidly opened up to Autosport about the challenges he faced in 2023, thinks the key to securing a new contract is to buck the trend of failing to adjust to Red Bull's car upgrades during the year.
"I want to be able to hit consistency, to build a platform," he said.
"What we lacked this year is progress. I started the year really highly, on par with Max. But I was just not able to evolve through the season. If anything, I went backwards at times. So, that's probably my main priority, to be able to progress through the season."
A common theme for Perez during his three-year Red Bull tenure has been his struggles to adapt his driving style to the unique demands of how the Red Bull cars are developed, which Verstappen is more in tune with.
Perez would often start race weekends on the back foot after failing to find a suitable set-up direction in Friday practice, which left him with a mountain to climb to get near the potential of the car.
Source: Autosport