Sergio Perez believes there is ‘no time’ in the calendar for F1 to squeeze in more pre-season testing with a record-breaking 24-race schedule planned for the upcoming campaign.
These comments followed Fernando Alonso’s calls for greater amounts of track time for drivers ahead of the season opener in Bahrain.
“We have a very limited testing in Bahrain. I’ve been thinking all winter about this, how unfair it is that we only have one day and a half to prepare [for] a World Championship,” said the Aston Martin veteran this week.
However, Perez does not believe it would be possible to expand the testing period with the Mexican driver already concerned about the packed nature of the current F1 calendar.
“We have 24 races,” he explained. “The calendar is already brutal, so there’s no time for more testing. It’s too many. We know that it’s too many races. It’s going to be a brutal calendar for all of us involved in the sport.
“That’s why it’s important that we are able to manage our energy levels as best as possible. I think 20 races would be great, keeping up the quality instead of the quantity. But that’s not for me to decide.”