Sergio Perez ended his pre-season testing programme by setting the fourth fastest time on Friday but saw his day ended earlier by a technical issue on his Sahara Force India VJM09 that brought out a red flag during the afternoon session in Spain.
The Mexican driver completed 60 laps of the Circuit de Catalunya on the final day of pre-season testing ahead of the new Formula 1 season that begins later this month at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, Australia, but despite the stoppage during a planned race simulation, Perez believes the team are well prepared for the opening Grand Prix.
“It was not the easiest day as the conditions were very windy right from the start,” said Perez. “The morning programme went to plan but during our long run in the afternoon we lost drive and the car stopped on track.
“We still managed 60 laps today and overall we’ve learned a huge amount from the last two weeks. It feels as though we are quite well prepared for Melbourne and I can’t wait to get back into racing mode.”
