After a crash in free practice, Sergio Perez was eliminated in Q2 at Imola.
Sergio Perez stated that the upgrades placed on his Red Bull played no part in his Q2 exit at Imola on Saturday, instead saying it is just a “tricky track to get properly right.”
During the qualifying session, he made a costly error, losing two valuable tenths of a second. As a result, he was unable to advance beyond the eleventh position, while his teammate Max Verstappen secured pole position, narrowly overtaking the McLaren duo. Despite this setback, the Mexican driver is determined to make a comeback and secure points during the upcoming race on Sunday.
Sergio Perez denies new Red Bull upgrades influenced early qualifying exit at Imola
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
On Saturday, Perez found himself out-qualified by both Red Bull drivers, who belong to their sister team. The Faenza-based outfit had a remarkable combined qualifying session, marking their best performance of the season thus far.
Perez had experienced a prior incident earlier on Saturday, colliding with the barriers during FP3 at Variante Alta. However, when questioned about the possible causes of his exit, Perez refused to acknowledge any potential reasons.
After qualifying, Perez responded to media, including PlanetF1.com, when asked if the new parts on the RB20 had put him at a disadvantage. He stated, “No, I believe it’s simply a challenging track to master accurately.”
We extensively experimented with the car, exploring various elements such as the ride, setup, and other components. We left no stone unturned in our quest to try everything.
In my opinion, witnessing Max’s significant progress was a positive experience, and I personally noticed improvements in the car. However, regrettably, we were unable to demonstrate it.
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When asked about the notion that previous Red Bull cars have deviated from his preferred development direction and catered more to his teammate’s driving style, Perez quickly dismissed it, stating, “No, I believe I’ve had a very successful weekend so far.”
“In regards to our long-term pace and overall confidence, I believe we have been making strides. However, our recent qualifying session was simply an unfortunate setback.”
When asked about the specific challenges faced by Red Bull during practice, he responded, “I believe one of the main issues we encountered was the ride quality, particularly due to the presence of numerous kerbs on this track.”
Having the right balance is essential for confidently navigating medium speed corners and braking corners. If the balance is even slightly off, it can lead to significant consequences.
I believe that we are all in a similar situation. We have definitely accomplished a lot during the weekend in terms of preparation.
“It’s unfortunate to witness Max up there; we certainly had the potential to achieve much more today.”
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