Nico Hulkenberg has explained that Sergio Perez will take a while to reach the performance levels of Max Verstappen in the Red Bull. Perez had a slow start to his Red Bull career on Friday, placing in 10th at the end of practice while Max Verstappen finished as quickest man. Hulkenberg, who has been confirmed as a reserve driver for two Formula 1 teams this season , believes it's just a matter of time for Perez to improve. "When you join a new team and have a new car, there are as many behavioral patterns in a long run as the car changes, what are the characteristics?" Hulkenberg said on Austrian ServusTV. "A driver in a new team definitely has to learn a lot first. It's a process that takes time." "It will take some time for Checo [Perez] to reach Max's level, because Max knows the Red Bull inside and out after all these years," Hulkenberg explained. "The same for Carlos [Sainz] at Ferrari, for Daniel [Ricciardo] at McLaren. "It's always a really big learning curve for a driver in a new team at the beginning of the year."
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