Sergio Perez joined Red Bull in 2021 after leaving Racing Point, becoming a teammate of Max Verstappen, the fourth in several seasons. The Mexican initially struggled to adapt to the RB16B, known for requiring an aggressive driving style. However, he took his second career victory in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Perez finished the season by also taking the podium in Turkey, the United States and Mexico, playing a pivotal role in Verstappen’s title defense against rival Lewis Hamilton during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Reflecting on his first season at Red Bull, the Mexican explained how big the difference was between the two philosophies and how the lack of pre-season testing with three days in total for each team made adaptation more difficult and slow.
“We have to take into consideration the fact that I came from a very different philosophy in terms of cars that I have driven throughout my career,” said Perez. “I think in that sense it was a slow adaptation. But it is a very different car, with a very different engine, so many things to learn with a new team and practically no tests ”.
“Before the opening race, I tried a day and a half. But the whole day was just about aerodynamics. So I didn’t do anything before the first race. There are many things to consider, but in the end it has been a promising season. Obviously I was hoping for more, but that’s what we have. I just have to keep pushing. We’ve had some good days and some bad days. But only with more time together will we be stronger as a team ”.
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB16B
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
With his performances last year, Perez has earned the renewal for 2022, signed already in August and which has ensured the continuity for the next season. This year will see the teams take advantage of more pre-season tests – from three to six days – to work on the new technical regulation in effect from next season.
This will give Perez more time to adapt to Red Bull in 2022, having already faced the challenge of having less time to rehearse than in previous seasons, also due to the fact that Friday’s free practice sessions have gone from 90 to 60 minutes. “It sounds weird, but I just ran out of time,” reveals Perez. “I think the limited number of tests and trials inside the car had an impact, because every track is different. So finding yourself driving such a different car probably made it more difficult. But I’m not the only one here, I think other excellent drivers have struggled to get to the top with their cars ”.
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