Perez: All start from zero

Heading to a new track this weekend in Russia, Sergio Perez reckons it means there will be a level playing field for all the drivers.

This season the Sochi Autodrom is the only new venue on the calendar.

The track, which was built around the Sochi Olympic Park on the Black Sea coast and includes 1.7km of public roads, consists of 18-corners and a long straight with a right-hand kink through Turn 1.

A new venue for all the drivers, no one knows whose car will be best suited to the circuit with Perez saying it is like starting from “zero.”

“I’m really looking forward to the race in Sochi,” said the Force India driver. “The location of the track inside the Olympic park is very unusual. If I get the opportunity I will definitely explore a bit. From the photographs I’ve seen it looks to be a very impressive facility.

“There are some long straights, some tight corners, and I think it will feel like a street circuit because the walls are close to the track in a lot of areas.

“To prepare for a new track I normally walk the track and cycle it a few times. Normally you need about 10 laps before you can really start doing performance runs. Nobody knows the track so it will be the same situation for all of us. We all start from zero.”