Why Sergio Perez must drive like Max Verstappen to get best out of Red Bull

Max Verstappen and Perez — Photo: © LAT Images

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Why Perez must drive like Verstappen to get best out of Red Bull

Mexican driver scraps old driving style to get to grips with new team

Ian Parkes & Will Gray

Friday 7 May 2021 09:32

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Sergio Perez has revealed he has scrapped his old driving style and is trying to re-educate himself to drive like team-mate Max Verstappen following his move to Red Bull.

Perez, who drove for Racing Point last year, has discovered that his old style “simply doesn’t work” with his new machine, which has been developed with a focus on Dutch driver Verstappen.

Rather than trying to adapt the set-up to his way of driving, however, the Mexican has decided to do the opposite and work out how to match the man on the other side of the garage to get more performance out of the car.

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“What I used to do in the races just simply doesn’t work with this car, so it's like resetting myself,” said Perez. “I am taking the approach that I need to adapt to the car.

“We’ve had such limited track time with these cars this year, with the new rules in testing and in practice, that everything comes out very quick. It’s very hard to do any work like we used to.

“At the same time I have a very strong reference on Max, who is obviously taking 110 per cent of the car from practice one all the way into Sunday, so, I think first I need to get to that level and then move around.

“That’s my view. It makes no sense to follow another direction because I am just going to get lost. So I am working on a very similar basis as my team-mate.”

Perez explained that although the current cars are extremely close in lap times, the way the cars work to set those times can differ dramatically, and it is taking him a long time to adapt.

The 31-year-old said he “learned a lot” from his last time out in Portimão where he spent a lot of the race in clean air and was able to build up data to evaluate how his style, pace and performance compared to that of his rivals.

“It’s about how you take the maximum out of your car," added Perez. "Every car requires different things to a degree.

"It is not down just to a Red Bull against a Racing Point, it’s how the cars are set up mechanically and aerodynamically.

“They all come very close within the lap times, but it’s just how you achieve it. Some cars are all about carrying the speed in, others the traction getting out, so it’s a very difficult question to explain the differences.

“Knowing how to approach it, how to get the maximum out of the tyres, how to take the maximum out of the car, that’s something that is very different to what I am used to.”