Sergio Pérez says SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team have a good idea of where they fit in the this year’s competitive order following a “positive” final day of winter testing.
The newly-named Racing Point completed 625 laps (1808 miles) across the eight days of winter testing at the Circuit de Barcelona, only beating ROKiT Williams Racing on the mileage chart.
In terms of pace, Pérez set his best lap-time of winter testing on the final Friday, a 1:17.791. Despite that time being bested by all but the Williams’ drivers, Pérez remains confident of his chances as we near the start of the 2019 season.
“It’s been a positive final day in the car for me,” said Pérez. “We did a lot of work and I think we have a good idea of where we stand with the car. Today was about final race preparations with lots of long runs. Every time we go out, we learn more and more and I feel ready for the season ahead.”
It was a turbulent end to 2018 for Pérez and the then Force India with financial troubles threatening the team’s place on the grid. But with new owners and a new name, Pérez heads into 2019 with renewed motivation.
“It’s been a long winter and I’m extremely motivated: I can’t wait to go racing again,” says the Mexican. “Starting the season with some points would be good, but in the end it’s a long season so we need to get to Melbourne and see how we really compare to the other teams.”
