Verstappen would have struggled at Mercedes the way I did with Red Bull - Perez

Sergio Perez believes Max Verstappen would have sustained the same issues if he had joined Mercedes last winter as he did with Red Bull over the past year.

After seven years driving with Force India/Racing Point, Perez switched to Red Bull at the end of 2020 and encountered a very different car.

The switch from a low to high-rake philosophy and from a Mercedes to Honda power unit contributed to a rollercoaster season for Perez who appeared lost at times whilst at others he pulled off a number of good results.

The Mexican feels new F1 champion Verstappen would have encountered a similar problem at Mercedes given his years of understanding and knowing Red Bull's car and philosophy.

Suggested to Perez, the Honda PU had played an additional role in his woes and not just the aerodynamic design of the car itself, he replied: "Yes. Of course, even as a driver you underestimate those things until you live them, you experience them.

"Driving a different power unit, it's a completely different task. Driving a completely different philosophy of car with a higher rake versus a lower rake, it's a completely different task.

"The way you approach things are just extremely different and you have to learn new techniques. Basically, what I used to do, nothing really worked here [with Red Bull].

"It would be the same, for example, if Max went to Mercedes. They [the cars] are just very different.

"They produce very similar lap times, but the way they get the lap time is extremely different."

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