Perez confident of easier overtaking in Bahrain

Sergio Perez is confident that Formula 1's overtaking concerns will be eased at this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix following a number of complaints at the Australia season-opener last month.

Criticism about the difficulty in following other cars and only a handful of on-track overtakes through the race led to suggestions that the Albert Park layout in Australia should be modified, with F1 technical managing director Ross Brawn admitting the current issues would likely remain until the new regulations are introduced in 2021.

Looking ahead to this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix, Perez said that while Australia proved difficult to pass, he is expecting things to be easier thanks to the wider nature of the Bahrain International Circuit.

“The Bahrain track often creates good racing," Perez said. "I still remember the battle I had with my old teammate, Jenson Button, in 2013. The layout really allows you to race wheel-to-wheel at times. If you lose a position in turn one, you can fight back through turns two, three and four.

“It was difficult to overtake in Melbourne, but Bahrain should be a bit easier because it’s a more traditional track."

Force India suffered its first non-score in F1 since the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix last time out in Australia, but Perez is hopeful of a return thanks to the tight nature of the midfield pack.

"We’ve got to be targeting points this weekend. Melbourne showed just how close all the teams are in the middle of the grid, so it’s especially important to have a clean weekend and maximise every session," Perez said.

“The development race will be very intense this year, but I know we have good things coming. We need to do what we have done in the last few years by making improvements to the car at each race.

"We’ve already made a step forward since pre-season testing so we need to keep working in the same direction.”