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Give new rules a chance - Perez

ESPN Staff
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Sergio Perez thinks fans and drivers should hold back on criticising the newly-approved rules for 2015 until they see them unfold on a race weekend.

Among the changes for 2015 is the controversial standing restarts after a safety car period rule, replacing the current format of rolling restarts, which Daniel Ricciardo said drivers were unanimously opposed to. Perez says there are still elements to the rules which need greater clarity such as the safety implications but he sees no reason to speak out now they have been ratified for next year.

"I think there is a safety element on that, which all drivers are concerned [about] and we spoke about it," Perez said. "But at the same time I think it's good for Formula One to change things. We need to change what we are doing with the sport sometimes. If it helps for the show and if it helps to have a more entertaining race then it's good for all of us - the media, the drivers, the fans and for the sport itself. It will be tricky for sure and it will not be an easy thing.

"We hear all about what if you have no tyres left, no brakes left, no clutch left - there are so many issues but the teams and the drivers have to adapt to it. If it's good for Formula One, why not? Let's see how it goes."

Despite his stance Perez agrees drivers did not have much of a say in the proposals put forward.

"We already expressed our concerns and they didn't listen to us that much. Now it's something that we can live with, it's not something that we can't live with. The approach I'm going to take is just to adapt to it and if it's good for the sport then we should have a go. I see it as a good thing."

With Mercedes still very much favourites to control proceedings at Silverstone, Perez says the F1 show would be improved further if it could achieve a more level playing field.

"I'd like to see more teams winning, I think that is something that we need. If you look back to the start of 2012 when we had seven different winners in the first seven races, that was really an amazing year. We need to give more opportunity to more teams, not only the top teams.

"The rules have to be more simple for the small teams and medium teams - for example that year Williams won a race, at Sauber we were so close to winning a race [in Malaysia]. We need to bring the sport a bit more together and give more opportunity to teams to win. As fans they would love to see Ferrari, McLaren, Force India, Williams and different teams winning. But we know here Mercedes are going to win on Sunday, and that makes the sport a bit boring in my opinion."

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