Sergio Perez believes that Red Bull’s rivals are “looking good” in Canada following the opening day of practice.
Teams effectively had just one practice session to get up to speed around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, as FP1 was all but abandoned due to CCTV issues.
The second practice outing was extended by 30 minutes but adverse weather conditions impacted the latter stage of the session, further disrupting the day.
“It was a real shame that we end up losing that FP1,” Perez said. “I think we really needed it. FP2 towards the end the conditions got a lot worse as well. It was a shame in that regard.
“But I think we got a good base and we just have to make sure we play a bit with the car. It was all a bit in a hurry. There’s plenty for us to understand tonight.”
Perez ended FP2 in eighth place, while team-mate Max Verstappen was sixth in the standings.
It was Mercedes who led the way after the day of running, with Verstappen admitting that Red Bull has work to do ahead of qualifying and the grand prix.
The day hinted at a change in form as it has been Red Bull who has dominated the 2023 season through the opening seven rounds so far.
When asked if the likes of Mercedes, Aston Martin and Ferrari could pose a threat, Perez said: “I think they’re looking good. We need to improve our ride as well. We’ll see tomorrow.”
And with mixed weather conditions promised for the rest of the weekend, Perez says that it could add an element of surprise to the event.
“Well, I think it’s going to be an interesting weekend, [with] his level of rain,” he said.
“It gets really dark and visibility really poor, these conditions become undrivable very quickly. So if it rains, hopefully not as much.”
