Perez admits move to Red Bull was 'harder than expected'

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Sergio Perez admits that he underestimated the difficulties of moving to Red Bull, which is why it has taken him longer than expected to get up to speed.

Perez scored his first win with the Milton Keynes-based outfit in Baku and has contributed 96 points overall to his team's tally in the Constructors' championship.

But the Mexican gradually ramped up his performance as he took a fair amount of time to settle in at his new outfit and to familiarize himself with a car that required a different approach compared to the machines he raced at Racing Point.

"I found the change of team harder than expected," Perez told the media ahead of this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix.

"I think the fact that I came to such a different team, in terms of driving a unique car and so on. It was a big change so it took me longer than expected to get up to speed.

"I'm just getting better. Obviously, I hoped for more by now but still the season is very long."

Perez' performance is inevitably gauged against the pace of pace of his blindingly fast teammate Max Verstappen. But the 31-year-old has chosen to focus on his side of the Red Bull garage.

"We all know in this business how good Max is," he explained. "He delivers at an extremely high level from FP1.

"But I'm more focused on my side, on trying to get fully comfortable with things, fully up to speed with describing the car and it was just a very different world to what I was used to.

"There are probably teams out there that are similar to others but I went to another extreme. So I think that made it a bit harder.

Read also: Perez hoping Red Bull contract talks 'won't take too long'

But with each passing race, Perez is inching closer to the level at which he expects to be.

"I'm getting there," he added. "I think every single weekend, we see good improvement and I see no reason why I cannot get any better in the next five races, for example, to do another step.

"I think I'm happy with with my progression so far with my level that I'm delivering at, but obviously it's not enough and I want more than that."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.