Red Bull’s Sergio Perez Laments Slow Ocon as Sprint Qualifying Hopes Dashed
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez had a disappointing Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix Sprint qualifying session, finishing in eighth place, and blamed Alpine’s Esteban Ocon for compromising his final run. The Mexican driver’s chances were ruined when Ocon drove slowly, leaving Perez with no opportunity to set a competitive time.
In the final eight-minute SQ3 session, all 10 competitors waited until the last few minutes to head out onto the circuit, piling pressure on the drivers to nail their out-laps and final push laps. Perez, however, fell short, citing Ocon’s slow pace as the reason.
“I think we were in the mix today,” Perez said in an interview with Sky Sports F1. “Unfortunately, I don’t know what Esteban was doing there. He apparently had to drive really slowly, and I did my final lap within half a second from him. Basically, there was no chance.”
Perez expressed confidence that his team would bounce back in tomorrow’s Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix Sprint race, saying, “It’s a shame because I think we’re having a more promising pace today. Unfortunately, we were not able to maximise it today. I think we should have been in the mix today, but for circumstances out of our control, we didn’t end up where we needed to be. I’m confident that tomorrow will be a better day.”
In contrast, Perez’s Red Bull teammate, Max Verstappen, led the charge to secure Sprint pole in Austria, beating McLaren’s Lando Norris by just under a tenth of a second. Verstappen, who is currently leading the Formula 1 standings, said it felt like “my home grand prix” with the massive support from the orange-clad Dutch fans in the crowd.
Verstappen praised his car’s balance, saying, “Nice to drive the car, I think immediately the car was well balanced, and then, of course, you make some little adjustments going into the Sprint quali and everything has been working really well. So yeah, good start to the weekend still, of course, a lot of things to do, but I’m happy with today.”
As the 2022 Formula 1 schedule unfolds, the contrasting fortunes of Red Bull’s drivers continue to favor Verstappen. Perez, meanwhile, will need to focus on recovering as many positions as possible in tomorrow’s Sprint and delivering a more rounded performance in Grand Prix qualifying. Stay updated with the latest Formula 1 news, Formula 1 today, and Formula 1 standings on our website.
🔗 Source