Sergio Perez says it will be tough to replace Lewis Hamilton – Formula 1 news
Sergio Perez, who currently drives for the Sauber F1 team, admits that it will be hard to fill Lewis Hamilton’s shoes as he replaces him in the McLaren team next year.
“For sure, I've got big shoes to fill,” Perez told CNN. “I rate him very highly and he's maybe the fastest out there. It's going to be tough to follow what he did.”
Perez is to join McLaren in the next season and will be partnering Jenson Button as Hamilton leaves the team to join the Mercedes team in place of the retiring driver Michael Schumacher. While Perez is excited to join a team like McLaren, he is worried he
might not be able to meet the standards Hamilton has set for the team.
Perez said, “I've spoken to Jenson a bit since I signed for McLaren. He seems to be a great guy and I think he'll be good fun as a team-mate. He's a very tough guy to beat and is very experienced. He's one of the fastest guys out there.”
Hamilton has been with McLaren since his debut in the F1 world and has also won the 2008 F1 championship with them. The team has played an important role in developing him into the kind of driver he is today. Since he is leaving, Button will become the more
experienced driver in the team. While Button says he might not be becoming an ‘older brother’ to the newcomer but he is ready about working closely with him and expects fresh ideas from him as he is very young.
The young driver has failed to perform well ever since his confirmation with McLaren although Sauber has been having a strong season. Perez has been accused that his focus has derailed due to the excitement of joining his new team but he has denied any such
thing. McLaren team principal, Martin Whitmarsh, has admitted that the signing of Perez is a risk but he has the potential to learn.
Perez is very determined to give a strong performance next year and has his eyes set on the championship. “I know it will be very hard to win the championship but it's the challenge I want,” he added.
Tags: