Lap Times 'Definitely' Closer Than Verstappen's Huge Gap Indicated Says Perez

Friday, 23 February 2024 at 00:00

Sergio Perez reflected on his new RB20 after his first day driving during pre-season tests at Bahrain International Circuit.

Red Bull Racing decided to dedicate a full Thursday during the pre-season tests in Bahrain to Sergio Perez, and the Mexican driver completed the most laps out of everyone - 129.

The day was split into two sessions: the morning session and the afternoon session. Speaking to the media after the morning session, the 34-year-old said:

"Generally speaking, it's definitely a step forward in the right direction with the car. It's obviously a very tricky track, with the morning to the afternoon, dialing in some set-up, and getting to understand some set-up compound."

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Bahrain International Circuit is famous for its changing conditions (not the weather), and Perez said he could feel it during all the runs he completed.

"It's very tricky because the track is changing pretty much every outing, so you have to base everything pretty much on your feeling."

Max Verstappen, who was behind the wheel of the RB20 on Wednesday, gaped everyone by more than a second, which took a smile from the faces of many fans who hoped for the tight battle for the title. On the other hand, Checo suggested the gap is not as big as everyone thinks.

"I believe that things are a lot closer than we are thinking, definitely. I don't really think that we've had much of a look [at our rivals] in that regard."

While the Red Bull driver says his team didn't focus on others that much, Helmut Marko already asserted he expects a lap time advantage of about three-tenths of a second. Perez added:

"At the moment we're basically focused on our job, we've been so busy with our programme. I think tomorrow, there will be a bit more of an idea, but I think we will find out next Sunday [following the Bahrain Grand Prix."

After his first two sessions of testing on Thursday, Perez will get into the seat of RB20 for his last session on Friday morning. After that, he will leave the car to the triple World Champion to conclude the testing during the week's final session.