Red Bull driver Sergio Perez expects the RB16B to be competitive from the start in Spain, with the Mexican hoping to claim his first podium for the team and possibly more this weekend. So far the 31-year-old has had an up and down campaign, scoring points in Bahrain and Portugal but falling outside the top 10 in Italy despite starting second on the grid. Perez is confident Red Bull will be competitive from the start once practice gets underway on Friday. "I think we should be in the fight right from the start," Perez said in a press release. "It is a very particular track, with very slow corners and then three and nine are high speed corners, so the key here is to find the right balance and to take care of the right side tyres. "The wind is also something to consider. It's a very tricky circuit, but as I said, we should be competitive from the beginning and fight for the win." Like teammate Max Verstappen, who won his first F1 race in Spain, Perez had fond memories of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as he scored his first points there back in 2011. The Mexican is hopeful he can score his first podium for Red Bull come Sunday. "Yes it is a special place, in 2011 I scored my first points in F1 and who knows, maybe could be the place for my first podium with Red Bull," Perez added. "It's a track where qualifying is very important so I'm pretty sure we are ready for this challenge. "This year we didn’t have our usual winter testing and last year the track conditions were different from the ones we usually have in May. I'm really intrigued about what the RB16B can do there. Last year this was the first race I drove after I had covid and I had a good result, so yes, it is a track I enjoy driving."
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