Perez: First impact of fresh Racing Point funding to be felt in Spain

The first real impact of Racing Point’s new-found investment will be felt at Formula 1’s Spanish Grand Prix, according to Sergio Perez.

Racing Point has enjoyed fresh funding following Lawrence Stroll’s takeover of the team last year, while it has also been boosted by the addition of new backers, including title sponsor SportPesa.

The Silverstone-based squad has picked up points at each of the opening four races so far in 2019, with Perez scoring a season-best sixth place in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, to lift Racing Point up to fifth in the constructors’ championship and just a single point behind fourth-placed McLaren.

But Perez insists the best is yet to come for Racing Point, which is yet to introduce major upgrades so far this season due to the late arrival of the team’s new administration.

“I think it will be the first impact of what we can be, and that [Spain] will be an important weekend for us,” Perez explained.

“You have to remember that the new administration came in very late in the year, so we are a bit behind schedule ideally, but we’re playing catch up.

“I think obviously we are in the same boat as everyone in the midfield. It will be very important to see where we stand with our upgrades.

“If they work as planned, we should be making a good step, but I think everyone is in the same boat, so it is all relative and we will see where we are.”

Perez said his relationship with Stroll Sr. continues to grow with each passing race and believes there is every reason to be positive about Racing Point’s future prospects.

“Our relationship is growing throughout the races and I’m getting to see a bit more of how he is guiding the team,” Perez added.

“He is fully committed to it and he wants us to deliver on track. He is delivering always off-track which is very encouraging, but he also understand that it’s long term.

“Unfortunately things in Formula 1 should happen a lot quicker outside the car, but everything takes a lot of time. But you’ve seen with other teams - look at Renault, such a big organisation and they take time.

“He’s excited but at the same time he’s patient and realistic of our targets, so I think it’s a long-term project.”

Racing Point team principal Otmar Szafnauer added: "The fact that we have funding now to bring the developments to the car as quickly as our internal procedures will allow is a big benefit. We won’t be hampered by not having the funds to actually buy the components.

"So that will be a benefit, but the real issue is bringing developments to the car that make a performance enhancement, a performance difference, and that’s what we’re focusing on doing."