Having arrived at the Milton Keynes-based utterly team chunky of confidence, and declaring ambitions to out-invent the vehicle he had below him, the 2021 F1 season has now not been as easy as he would dangle preferred.
The dearth of pre-season testing, and reduction in Friday running at grands prix, left Perez, alongside with the opposite drivers swapping groups, on the backfoot.
And although there were some evident highlights – including a entrance row beginning at Imola and that victory in Baku – equally there has been an most intriguing portion of frustration too.
For Perez, the core misfortune is now not that he isn’t as much as the job, or that he’s lacking the trip of running for a entrance-line team.
It’s that Purple Bull’s vehicle philosophy is so alien to him that it’s nearly love he’s having to be taught to flee in a brand fresh class this season.
“The methodology you extract the lap time on this vehicle, the methodology you’re combating while you wreck up in soiled air, when when compared with what I turned into feeble to plan, and the diagram you drive the races, is awfully diversified,” Perez tells Motorsport.com.
“Plus, it’s how you glimpse after the tyres. Each and each vehicle has diversified requirements of rim heating, and rim cooling, with very particular particulars as the entirety is linked to the tyres.
“So or now not it’s correct a decided world, to be merely. It’s love I’ve changed class to be very merely. It be correct a decided class.”
Sergio Perez, Purple Bull Racing RB16B
Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Photos
Perez is no stranger to working with a big team, having had that character-building season with McLaren motivate in 2013 where he realized an abominable lot about what can skedaddle sinful.
However what has made this circulate to Purple Bull doubtlessly extra tough for him is the double whammy of a vehicle that indispensable a in point of fact diversified skill from what he turned into previously feeble at, plus the team being in the gap for gunning for the title. That has meant that the stress, and the spotlight, has been on him an amazing deal.
“It be a large opportunity, nonetheless yeah I furthermore am mindful that I even dangle changed loads the philosophy,” he explains.
“I went from one team to a in point of fact diversified team in terms of how the vehicle performed the lap time, and or now not it’s been extra tough than expected, altering groups, you know, especially coming to a team that is already combating for the championship.
“It be huge to be in a team that is combating for the championship nonetheless, at the same time, or now not it’s complex on tale of you plan now not dangle that adaptation that while you wreck up combating for the championship you’re utterly engaged with the vehicle. I did now not dangle likelihood to plan that.
“I am correct learning loads, you know, from the vehicle, and from the team. I came to a in point of fact diversified team philosophy, engine and vehicle, so I’m correct getting on with it and, with time and proper improving, things are getting better.
“On the opposite hand it’s now not a easy job and gentle or now not it’s an ongoing job. Coming correct into a brand fresh structure, a structure love Purple Bull, or now not it’s extraordinarily gigantic, and or now not it’s now not easy to search out your toes. On the opposite hand or now not it’s getting there.”
Sergio Perez took his first Purple Bull have interaction in Azerbaijan.
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photos
Presumably the one thing Perez has lacked the most this season has been time. He has said on about a instances that he begins the weekends massively playing have interaction-up in understanding what he must plan to attain his vehicle like a flash.
However his rate of progress in understanding the setup and tyres is so unparalleled correct thru a weekend, that he desires he might possibly possibly furthermore beginning once more after the chequered flag on Sunday.
“I am gentle wanting a form of time once we skedaddle to a brand fresh circuit,” he says. “I have interaction love the total Friday to be there in qualifying, and that’s correct chipping away thru qualifying. Then or now not it’s correct too late while it’s most likely you’ll possibly furthermore dangle gotten the kind of deficit thru Friday.
“In the end I accumulate there, nonetheless it correct takes me too unparalleled time to accumulate on high of that.”
Equally, what Perez has realized is that to attain the Purple Bull RB16B characteristic to its simplest, it must be hustled in a technique where existence isn’t elated for the motive force.
For Max Verstappen, his power in balancing a vehicle on the edge of adhesion has considered him plan things with Purple Bulls that outdated teammates dangle struggled to envision.
Perez provides: “I’d thunder or now not it’s miles a sooner vehicle, nonetheless correct the methodology you extract the lap time is awfully diversified. At the cease of the day, all F1 vehicles come very halt together, nonetheless or now not it’s correct the methodology you extract the utmost lap time from each vehicle that is awfully diversified. And I went to a vehicle that is awfully diversified.
“I gain that with the Purple Bull vehicle, it’s most likely you’ll possibly furthermore dangle gotten a in point of fact slim window, where it operates. It’s miles awfully valuable to protect in that window on tale of while you skedaddle out of it, it will furthermore essentially feel a runt extra elated nonetheless it’s now not essentially a sooner vehicle. So I bet or now not it’s miles a form of me adapting to the vehicle.”
However despite the decided difficulties he has had, and the duty being extra tough than he in the muse understanding, what Perez isn’t lacking is the conviction that he can accumulate things sorted.
His entrance row beginning at Imola, and that victory in the Azerbaijan GP, dangle confirmed what he can plan when the vehicle is in the suitable window.
They dangle got given him the confidence to grab that once that feeling of being at one with the vehicle at final comes, then the implications are obvious to practice.
“It’s miles correct rising that recordsdata together, and this would possibly become very natural,” he says.
“At present is now not natural but, nonetheless this would possibly accumulate there. I raise that already this yr, in the second half of of the season, I might be there and we would be stunning solid.
“I will correct accumulate stronger and we as a team are going to accumulate stronger.”
