With 2022 cars, Perez admits that ‘everything will feel bad’

Because the current F1 cars are the best in history, Sergio Perez believes “everything will feel bad” on the 2022 cars.

With the altered technical regulations designed to make racing closer and more competitive from across field, drivers are starting to get a feel for how next year’s all-new cars will perform in the simulator.

In the simulation, Perez and his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen tested what could be called the RB17 and gave it a lukewarm response in terms of pace compared to the RB16B.

However, anything would pale into insignificance to this season’s car, which has propelled Verstappen to a 12-point lead in the Drivers’ World Championship with five races remaining, according to the Mexican.

Saying it “doesn’t feel too bad” and that it is “still very early days”, Perez, who won this year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, also said: “I’ve only been driving [the 2022 car] a couple of times on the simulator, so we have to wait until we hit it on track and start from there.

“But it’s obviously very different compared to the current regulations. I think these cars we are currently driving, we’ll never see them [again] in the history of Formula 1.

“These are the best cars we have driven, or all people have driven in history, so unfortunately everything will feel bad compared to these cars. But I hope it is just enjoyable to drive.”

Verstappen had similar sentiments, saying: “It’s been all right, just a little bit slower. We need to see the real car on the track and then we will adjust the simulator around it.

“At the moment everything is still a bit of guessing work so I don’t pay too much attention to it, to be honest.”

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