Sergio Perez explained the headache of working with the new Honda engine, saying that it was a massive problem for him.
Perez joined Red Bull at the beginning of 2021, and had the Honda engine under the hood of his car. Throughout his career, he has had Mercedes engines powering his car, so the switch to the Japanese team was a new one for him.
Although he didn’t have a superb season, it was solid enough to make a difference. He had a strong end to 2021, showing that he had finally adapted to the Red Bull car.
Perez explained the headache of working with the new Honda engine due to the very different power delivery method it employs.
“Even as a driver, you underestimate these things until you live them, and experience them,” the Mexican told RacingNews365.com.
“But driving a different power unit, it’s a completely different task. Like driving a completely different philosophy of car with the high rake versus lower rake.
“It’s a completely different task and the way you approach things are just extremely different. You have to learn new techniques. Basically, what I used to do, nothing really worked.”
Steps in the right direction
“Every circuit is different, there are some circuits where I’m more competitive than others so it’s very much down to circuit specific rather than certain corners,” he continued.
“We already have a baseline that we can work from and improve that one, so that makes a huge difference.
“I already know the people, I already know what is what and how to get the most out of every single individual around me. So that’s a very different picture.”