Perez warns time will make him "stronger" at Red Bull

Sergio Perez has warned time will only make him "stronger" at Red Bull as F1 enters a new era this year.

Following his arrival at the team last season from Racing Point, Perez struggled to get to grips with the RB16B in the early stages.

Asked in an end-of-season interview, including GPFans, how close to 100 per cent comfortable he had been able to get inside the car by the close of the year, the Mexican listed a number of reasons for his lengthy period of adaptation.

"We have to take into account the fact that I came into a very different philosophy of car compared to what I've been driving all my career," said Perez.

"In that aspect, it has been a slow adaptation, but yes, just a very different car, very different engine. A lot of things to learn with a new team with no testing, basically.

"Before the first race, I did a day and a half but the first day was to do aero stuff, so I did nothing before the first race.

"So many aspects have to be considered but all in all, it's a promising season. Obviously, I will have hoped for more, but it is what it is. I just have to keep pushing.

"We had some positives, we had some negatives, but we will only get stronger the longer we are together."

Although Perez scored his only win of the year in Azerbaijan, the sixth race of the season, it was in the closing races where the Mexican really came to life with a trio of consecutive podiums in Turkey, the USA and Mexico.

Conceding this had been more his expectation for the entire year, Perez added: "Of course, but then there were various small things that would have transformed our weekend or our season.

"Just trying things, just working throughout. Right now, I finally understand how to drive the car, how to exploit the maximum out of it. That's why the results were a lot better."

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