Sergio Perez said he should be leading the Formula One championship and saw himself as a true title contender after beating Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen to victory in Azerbaijan on Sunday.

The pair now have two wins apiece after four rounds of a 23-race season, with Red Bull clearly in a league of its own.

Perez is six points behind Verstappen, the two-time reigning champion, due to finishing fifth in Australia, a race the Dutch driver won, after problems in qualifying.

“Having three kids at home, I wouldn’t be traveling around the world if I didn’t believe that I can be a world champion and I’m working toward that,” Perez said after Red Bull’s third 1-2 finish of the season.

“There is so much you can talk outside the car, it’s important to deliver on the track and I think without the issues we had in qualifying in Melbourne we should be leading the championship.

“So definitely there is everything to believe that we can do well this year.”

Perez won in Saudi Arabia and finished second in the season opener in Bahrain.

Sunday’s win in Baku was helped by the safety car, but Perez still made the most of the opportunity to become the first driver to win at the track.

“We are just pushing each other massively, and I think this year is about not making those mistakes,” said Perez, who also won the first sprint race of the season in Baku on Saturday.

“I am fighting for it,” the Mexican said of the championship. “But I also know it’s a long road ahead.”

While the No. 1 on Verstappen’s car reflects a de facto status within the team, Perez is keeping him in his sights with his best start to a season.

The Mexican has yet to win more than twice in a season, while Verstappen is a 37-time winner, but has clearly raised his game.

“I think we delivered under pressure massively because every single session was so critical in this (sprint weekend) format,” said Perez. “It was really important to deliver when it mattered.

“Yesterday we executed a perfect short race and today once again we executed a tremendous race.”

Team boss Christian Horner said the Mexican, who has had all but one of his six career wins on street circuits, has been ‘sensational.’

“He’s always been outstanding at this track,” he added. “He absolutely excels here. He got a little lucky with the safety car today but then he converted that and pulled a gap and he had the pace and really controlled the race.

“A phenomenal drive by him all weekend.”