Perez adjusting to way RB16B ‘needs to be driven’

Racing from the pit lane to P5 in Bahrain, Sergio Perez has warned rivals it has yet to “come together” for him and that he’ll be even stronger when it does.

Perez made his Red Bull debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix, finishing a disappointing P11 in qualifying.

But, then again, the Mexican driver is known more for his ability during a grand prix than he is his one-lap pace. And he showed why on the Sunday.

An electrical problem on the formation lap meant he started the race from the pit lane but that didn’t stop him from scoring his first points for Red Bull.

Perez, voted ‘Driver of the Day’ by the fans, raced his way from 20th to fifth at the chequered flag.

“That’s a positive, that the race pace was strong,” he told Autosport, “but there are so many things that are still clicking.

“I think at the moment that everything comes together, we are going to be pretty strong.

“We just have to be solid, and get the pace done properly, and it should be pretty good.

“My race never settled down. I lack laps, and you are against the time all the time in that regard.

“But I enjoyed the understanding with the car, we are starting to feel one another a bit more, so in that regard I’m pleased.

“I was pleased just by the fact that we managed to get those kilometres under my belt.”

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One of the things that still needs to click is Perez’s style in the RB16B.

At a new team for the first time since he joined Force India in 2014, the 31-year-old says he is still working on driving the Red Bull the “way the car needs” to be driven.

He explained: “There are some specific problems related to the way that I’m driving the car, I have to adjust my driving to the car.

“Firstly I need to make sure that I’m driving the way the car needs to be driven, and then work on that.

“But it’s taking me a while, because it’s very different to what I’m used to.”

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