Sergio Perez switch "harder than expected" as Red Bull "another extreme"

Red Bull

Perez switch "harder than expected" as Red Bull "another extreme"

Perez is a long way adrift of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton

Ian Parkes & Ewan Gale

Thursday 8 July 2021 17:05

Sergio Perez has conceded his switch to Red Bull has been "harder than expected" due to the team being "extreme" compared to his previous experiences but believes he is improving.

Although Perez claimed his first win with the team after picking up the pieces of Max Verstappen's tyre blowout in Azerbaijan, a mix of bad luck and driving errors means he is 78 points adrift of team-mate Max Verstappen in the drivers' standings

Asked to give a percentage rating of his season so far, Perez replied: "I wouldn't like to give a number yet. I obviously hoped for more by now but the season is very long.

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"I have found it harder than expected, the change of team. The fact that I came to such a different team in terms of driving a unique car and so on, it was a bit strange so it took me longer than expected to get up to speed. I am just getting better."

Perez pushing to go to new levels

Potential difficulties for Perez in the Red Bull have been accentuated by Verstappen's talents, as was the case with predecessors Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon.

The 31-year-old, who competed in his 200th grand prix in Austria, insisted he has focused on himself in order to improve within the RB16B.

"We all know in this business how good Max is and he delivers at a very high level," added Perez.

"But I am more focused on my side, I am trying to get comfortable with things, fully up to speed with this car and it is just a very different work to what I was used to.

"The fact that I moved teams... there are probably teams out there that are similar to others but I moved to another extreme so I think that made it a bit harder.

"But I am getting there, every weekend we see good improvement. I see no reason why I cannot get any better in the next five races, for example, to do another step.

"I am happy with my progress so far, with the level I am delivering at but obviously it is not enough and I want more than that."