“Both sides of the garage working together to get it fixed” – Sergio Perez was considered to be out of the race even before it started but a rain delay and outstanding work by Red Bull made the implausible happen.
Sergio Perez had an embarrassing start to yesterday’s ‘race’ after he crashed on the way to the grid. The damage was enough for Red Bull team manager Jonathan Wheatley to inform the FIA about Perez’s withdrawal.
But a rain-delayed start meant Red Bull had hope if they could fix the Mexican’s car in time. And that is what precisely happened, leaving Perez incredibly proud and thankful for his team.
“The lap to grid was my mistake, the conditions and visibility were extremely poor and I just went on the kerb and lost it.
“I always knew there was a small chance we could get the car back out and the team was pushing hard, really showing the spirit of Red Bull, which was nice to see.
“My team did what they do best and they repaired the car so quickly it was incredible. I really wanted to repay them for their hard work during the race but that didn’t happen. Luckily we are racing again in a few days.”
Max Verstappen’s mechanics assist in fixing Perez’s car
In a display of brilliant team chemistry, Max Verstappen’s crew also went in hard to fix the damaged car. Team boss Christian Horner was delighted, even though the effort meant for nothing as no racing laps could be completed.
“Following Checo’s unfortunate trip into the barrier on the initial out lap it was incredible to see our mechanics in action under pressure once again, fixing his car in the time they did, giving him every opportunity to race should we have been able to get out from behind the Safety Car.
“It was a massive job as both sides of the suspension and the steering rack were damaged but it was very rewarding to see the teamwork with both sides of the garage working together to get it fixed.”
