Perez says he has learned a lot from Verstappen in Bahrain

Although Bahrain was not the happiest Grand Prix weekend ever for Sergio Perez, he can look back with pride on an impressive race. After coming to a standstill during the warm-up lap and starting from the pit lane, the Mexican finished in a respectable fifth position.

Maximise

In an official press release from Red Bull Racing, Perez lets his light shine on the weekend at the Sakhir circuit. "It was a really eventful weekend. I thought the race was over before we even started, but we were lucky to get the car running. It's always important to maximise the 'bad days' and make the most of them and in the end it was a very positive recovery with some good points for the team."

According to Perez, the fight for Red Bull up front this year will not be easy: "I think it will be very close with Mercedes and we will see if the fight is circuit-related. It will be interesting to see how we stand in Imola, on a very different circuit to Bahrain, and to see how we relate to them."

Max's driving style

Asked what Perez learned during the race weekend in Bahrain, he revealed, "I learned more about Max's driving style and how to drive the car to get the most out of it. I think that was the biggest learning point: I now know what balance I need to find in the car throughout the weekend." The Mexican therefore hopes to be in contention for victory this weekend, although he will need to make an important move on Saturday: "Unlike Bahrain, qualifying in Imola is very important because you can hardly overtake there."