McLaren pleased with Sergio Perez so far

Perez has spent the last few days meeting with the engineers to get acquainted with his new surroundings, having spent the last two seasons at Sauber.

And McLaren sporting director Sam Michael says that the team has been delighted with the attitude its new driver has shown from the off.

"So far Checo has come across as a really great guy," Michael told AUTOSPORT. "He is modest and respectful of what he has to achieve, but also how much he needs to learn from his team-mate [Jenson Button] who is a world champion.

"At the same time he has got high confidence and a strong ego - and all winners have that. It is a matter of having a great balance, and Checo has a great balance between those two qualities."

Michael said that as well as appearing ready to listen, Perez was also eager to push his own ideas too.

"A driver needs to adapt his working methods - to extract the best out of himself and the team," added Michael. "Checo has spent a lot of time this week working out how we operate and more importantly why we did things."

He added: "The smart drivers ask why - and that is what he has been doing. I like his confidence and I like the balance he has there. He is flat out learning."

* For a more detailed analysis of what McLaren thinks of Perez, and how he will cope with the challenges of 2013, see this week's AUTOSPORT.