'Upbeat' Perez excited to get back to Silverstone

40

Sergio Perez is looking to build on the momentum of last week's race in Austria when it comes to the British Grand Prix.

Perez overcame initial problems to both qualify and then finish in seventh place at the Red Bull Ring. It was part of a valuable double points haul for the team.

"I’m feeling really upbeat after our strong weekend in Austria," said the Mexican driver. "We recovered well from some difficult practice sessions and picked up some important points.

"I think we can do the same in Silverstone.

"I love the track and I think the car will perform well there. We have some small updates coming on the aero side and I feel very comfortable in this car.

"I really can’t wait to experience the high-speed corners at Silverstone with all the downforce we have on these 2017 cars."

"I always say that Silverstone is one of the best tracks of the year," Perez added. "There are great corners and it’s a real pleasure to drive in a Formula 1 car.

Force India can count Silverstone as their home circuit, because their factory is literally just down the road.

Force India to its drivers: 'The team comes first!'

"Our home Grand Prix in Silverstone is one of the toughest tests for a Formula 1 car," the team's chief race engineer Tom McCullough pointed out.

"The current layout is a mix of low, medium and very high speed corners, meaning you have to find the ideal compromise when it comes to set up. We expect the current generation of cars to be very impressive in the high-speed sections.

"[It's] a challenge the drivers will love," he added. "This means, however, that we need to produce a car that gives them the confidence required to attack those corners.

"The high tyre degradation will open up the strategic options, and the weather is always unpredictable," he noted. "Even when dry, the high winds on this exposed track mean conditions can change between one lap and the other.

"At 5.89km, this is one of the longest circuits of the year. We only have 52 laps, quite the opposite from Austria!"

For Perez, the magic of Silverstone isn't simply all about the track.

"The fans also make the British Grand Prix special. We always see a huge crowd – even on Friday – and the atmosphere always feels special.

"It’s one of those races where the drivers’ parade gives you huge energy when you see the support from the fans.”

GALLERY: F1 drivers' wives and girlfriends

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.