Sergio Perez Laments Balance Issues in Disappointing Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying
Sergio Perez was left ruing a frustrating Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix weekend, qualifying in a disappointing eighth place as he struggled to find the perfect balance on his Red Bull car. With a recent streak of failing to progress to Q3 at the previous three rounds and scoring only four points, Perez was determined to turn his fortunes around in Barcelona.
However, despite making it to the pole position shootout, Perez ended up over six tenths behind teammate Max Verstappen in second, and trailed behind both Ferraris, Mercedes, McLarens, and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly. Perez attributed his disappointing result to a mistake on his last run, which cost him a higher grid position.
“I think we were finding the light out of the tunnel,” Perez said. “Unfortunately, my final sector was in Q3 a little bit too poor. I lost a bit too much compared to myself. I think we could have been a lot closer.”
Perez also conceded that he had struggled to optimize the set-up on his RB20 car throughout the weekend, making it difficult to capitalize on track evolution. “But overall, I think we’ve been a little bit too far this weekend. We’ve been chasing the balance every now and then.”
With a three-place grid drop from Canada demoting him down to 11th position on the grid, Perez’s decision to tailor his car towards a race-orientated set-up is crucial. “I think we needed to be really good and strong in that regard,” he said, emphasizing the importance of being able to overtake quickly.
Perez spent time in Red Bull’s simulator but cited the peakiness of the tyres as a reason it was hard to translate that learning into the weekend. “I think we explored the car a lot. I think we struggled a lot more than we anticipated in Barcelona. Obviously, the correlation sometimes can be good, sometimes not.”
Despite the challenges, Perez is determined to show good race pace and turn the page quickly. “Hopefully tomorrow we are able to clear the people ahead quickly and make progress early on in the race.”
🔗 Source