Sergio Perez put in an impressive performance at the Bahrain Grand Prix by working his through the field from the back of the grid, and former F1 driver Paul di Resta thinks the Mexican has proved that he is exactly what Red Bull need. In his first race weekend as Max Verstappen's teammate, Perez initially faced some difficult moments. The 31-year-old qualified in 11th place after failing to get into the final round of qualifying, and then was forced to start the race from the pitlane after a power unit failure on his way to the grid. But Perez bounced back in the grand prix by finishing in fifth place and, according to di Resta, showed that he is perfect for his new team in the process. "I think [it was] quite an outstanding drive," di Resta explained on Sky Sports F1. "Very solid, exactly what he had to do. Started from the pitlane, made all the positions he had to do. "He's not far off from where [Valtteri] Bottas finished the race and that's what Red Bull need, they need someone there as perfect back-up. Like he said, he's just going to get better and better and better, and he's going to find little tweaks in this car that are going to suit him. "He's a great wheel-to-wheel racer and you can see where he positions the car is absolutely spot on." Perez has previously stated that he feels it will take him a few races to get up to speed in the Red Bull car, but di Resta believes that it could happen sooner and remains hopeful for what the team can do in future races. "It may be [sooner]. I think when you're really going to see it is when you get into the summer when the tyres start to take more of a pounding," the Scotsman said. "When you get to Barcelona, track temperatures are a bit hotter and I think that will play more into Red Bull's hands. I think that's what compromised them the most today, it's the sudden temperature drop. "This is a guy that's got a huge amount of experience. He's just keeping his head down and not letting the vision of what Max is doing [affect him]. He'll just slowly get there at the right time when he's comfortable."
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