Sergio Perez drove his RB19 for the first time at a non-Red Bull event on the day of the pre-season testing in Bahrain. The first day was dedicated to his teammate Max Verstappen. So he got his hands on the new machinery on Friday only.
The Mexican race driver didn’t make a significant mark in the standings of the morning session. However, that wasn’t even his concern anyway. Instead, his objective was to know the car and be assured whether the car was reliable or not.
On that front, Perez is satisfied, as Red Bull, over the two days with hundreds of laps, didn’t get any problem. Talking about his car’s excellence, he feels it is very familiar with its title-winning predecessor.
Great to be back! Cant wait to hit the track 💪 #bahraintesting #f1
Feliz de estar de regreso. ¡Con muchas ganas de estar ya en la pista! pic.twitter.com/WfM4gRyOQq
— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) February 23, 2023
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Sergio Perez hints at Red Bull dominance in 2023
After his Friday run, Perez shed his thoughts on his lengthy run in the scorching heat of Bahrain. He came out smiling and felt that Red Bull would have a strong year.
“I am happy in the car and I think we are in a good place. Now I am looking forward to getting a full day in the car tomorrow. We will do some good simulations for the race and try to prepare as much as possible for qualifying too,” Perez said.
He also claimed that this car has massive familiarity with RB18. The only difference comes from the tyre change, which, at best, is minimal. Therefore, it only signals that Red Bull is likely to continue its strong output, which could convert into another title-winning year, but that depends on the challenge they receive from their rivals.4
The whole Saturday is for Mexican
With the evening session of the second day of the testing, Verstappen is done with his spell ahead of the season’s first race. Now, the entirety of the third day is with Perez, who would want to get comfortable with the car before he vies in the first race.
Like other teams, Red Bull is also not showing all its cars and would only start flashing their optimal speed during the first qualifying. But even in that, RB19 is exploiting the whole field.
Some Ferrari news from #AMuS :
Both Carlos and Charles speak of improvements with the car balance.
At Ferrari, they are satisfied with the work, but don’t break out in euphoria. For that Red Bull simply seems too strong.#F1Testing— tami. (@Vetteleclerc) February 24, 2023
Verstappen, who drove throughout all the minutes on Thursday, was running over the field and had the best time. So, it wouldn’t be wrong to assume that the Milton-Keynes-based team hasn’t even dipped by an inch.
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