Sergio Perez sampled Red Bull Formula 1 machinery for the first time on Tuesday, after completing a private test day at Silverstone
Perez, who was signed by the Milton Keynes-based outfit to replace Alexander Albon for 2021 alongside Max Verstappen after a strong end to last season for Racing Point.
During the test at Silverstone, Perez drove the 2019-spec Honda powered machine in an attempt to become accustomed with Red Bull’s procedures as well as those of the Honda powertrain, with Perez using Mercedes power during his seven-year stint at the team which is now known as Aston Martin.
Yesterday Perez joined Verstappen in testing the new RB16B challenger Red Bull has created for the 2021 season – with the B-suffix legacy of the fact that over 50% of the ’20 car will be carried over to this year after teams, F1, governing body the FIA agreed to push back the anticipated new technical regulations until ’22 due to the pandemic.
“It is definitely a dream come true. To look at my name on the car is something very special,” explained Mexican driver Perez who claimed his maiden grand prix win in last season’s Sakhir Grand Prix.
“We’ve already done a lot of work in the simulator working on the controls and I’m pleased with the progress we’ve made in terms of feeling more comfortable in the car.
“We’ve done a lot of preparation – many days in the simulator, working on the controls, getting on top of everything.
“As I said, I’m pleased with how these days went because I was able to get used to all the procedures, to learn from them and to improve.”
With pre-season testing reduced to just three days ahead of the new season – one-and-a-half per driver – Red Bull was keen to run Perez in older equipment so that items such as seat and pedal positions and integrating him into the team could be sorted well ahead of time to make sure the maximum amount of time could be spent focusing on understanding and developing the car.
“Getting comfortable in the cockpit is important so that when we get to Bahrain, I’m able to just focus and get the performance right,” Perez explained.
“A day-and-a-half in the car is really nothing, so the more we can get done here, the better we will be prepared for the first test in Bahrain.”
“It’s very important to get these days – to get to know my boys, to get to know the engineers,” he added.
“It helps to have more fluid conversations as the way I explain the car is different to what they have been used to and vice versa.
“I recognise more faces now and I can have a laugh with the guys. We are all racers here and when we are in a racing environment everything gets more comfortable.”
