Sergio Perez says he had no time to adapt at Red Bull amid intense title battle

Sergio Perez has said he had little time to grow accustomed to the Red Bull RB16B in 2021 amid the frantic championship battle the team was involved in. Perez moved over to Red Bull from Racing Point at the end of the 2020 season after losing his seat to Sebastian Vettel.

Speaking ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix during on The Edge podcast, the Mexican driver said:

"The fact that we were, in my first year with Red Bull Racing, fighting for the constructors’ championship and Max (Verstappen) was fighting for the drivers’, it was like I didn’t have that process of adaptation that generally is good for drivers to have when a car is competitive but is not winning a championship or is unable to win it."

He added:

“I came straight into it with no adaptation. It was a great challenge. It was really intense from my side with a lot of things to learn. I think I worked as hard as ever in my adaptation to the team with all of my engineers, so it wasn’t easy, but we were working and giving our very best.”

During the first half of the season, Perez struggled to get the best out of his car despite the Red Bull RB16’s clear performance advantage. Although his performances markedly improved as the season progressed, he could only finish P4 in the drivers’ standings, behind teammate Verstappen and Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

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Sergio Perez might have cost Red Bull a chance at a sweeping both championships in 2021

Sergio Perez has often been criticized for his inconsistent performances in 2021, particularly during qualifying, where he would usually be around half a second off his teammate.

While his performances gradually stepped up over the course of the season and occasionally even matched Verstappen, his poor qualifying form meant oftentimes his race was compromised from the get-go.

By the end of the season, Mercedes had a clear performance advantage. And Perez’s poor qualifying didn't help Red Bull's efforts to win the constructors’ championship as they were unable to maximize their points potential.

Still, Sergio Perez’s performances were far better on average compared to his Red Bull predecessors Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly. What he lacked in pure qualifying pace, Perez made up for with exemplary race day performances, doing everything he could to help his teammate in the title battle. In the Abu Dhabi season finale, his hard but fair defense against Hamilton earned him praise from both Verstappen and his team bosses.

Also not helping Sergio Perez's cause was Red Bull having to occasionally compromise his race strategy in an effort to maximize Verstappen’s chances of winning the driver’s title.