Sergio Perez just can’t catch a break with his qualifying woes amid the speculations on his future at Red Bull. Riding on the wave of uncertainty despite his recent contract extension, the Mexican had another crash at the Hungarian GP qualifying and ended up bowing out in Q1 itself. However, F1 commentator Martin Brundle doesn’t feel Perez made a mistake that led to this crash.
Brundle said, “Was he taking crazy speed into the corner? Was he off line? Did he make a mistake? No. He turned in on the right line and there just wasn’t any grip when he got there”.
Perez is ok, but his Red Bull certainly isn’t…
He’ll start tomorrow’s race from P15 at best #F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/tPGEEw3Lqg
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 20, 2024
The Sky Sports commentator stated that Perez had come off the kerb at turn seven which was damp due to the light drizzle and may have got his right rear tire damp as well. Thus, the increasingly wet track conditions may have led to the #11 driver losing grip while turning and spinning his car out of control.
The former McLaren driver also mentioned how George Russell had a similar moment but was able to control his car. Brundle then even contrasted the two incidents that Max Verstappen and Perez himself experienced in the qualifying session in Silverstone.
While Verstappen was able to avoid his car going into the gravel or the barriers at Copse, Perez couldn’t. At Silverstone too, the conditions were pretty similar with light rain affecting Q1.
Now, Perez may be excused by Red Bull on account of the tricky conditions. However, his continued run of bowing out in Q1 is hurting his chances to retain his seat and is also fueling the rumors around his potential axing.
Brundle, David Croft, and Ted Kravitz discuss Perez’s tricky situation at Red Bull
Brundle stated that he felt sorry about Perez’s incident in Budapest. He questioned how long would Red Bull persist with the six-time Grand Prix winner making such mistakes in qualifying. So far the Milton Keynes outfit has backed Perez fully but the reports around his potential ouster have heated up.
However, Red Bull and Perez have denied all rumors that suggest that they may part ways. When Brundle and Croft discussed this situation, Kravitz chipped in on air to state, “It’s Red Bull who are speculating” about Perez’s future, and the media, including the Sky Sports team, are just “reporting” it.
Croft even highlighted that it was Red Bull that put Liam Lawson in for a test in the RB20 for a ‘filming day’ at Silverstone. As a result of the same, rumors have intensified about Perez potentially facing the axe despite his recent contract extension.
Kravitz also stated Helmut Marko’s comment that “everything is open”, when it comes to Red Bull and V-CARB’s driver situation, to justify why the discussions about Perez’s fate have intensified off late.
