Sergio Perez getting stuck in the gravel trap in Q1 brought an early end to qualifying for him in Silverstone on Saturday. As has been the case in most of the races this year, Max Verstappen was left fighting for Red Bull on his own. And ahead of the British GP, Verstappen admits that he cannot rely on his teammate.
Perez finished P19 in qualifying and will start ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly who took a 50-place grid penalty. From there, it is highly unlikely that the Mexican driver will have any influence on the proceedings at the front.
When asked about his teammate’s performance, Verstappen said (as quoted by Formul1.nl), “Ultimately you have to do it alone. It’s a pity I can’t trust him, but we’ll see.”
Not a qualifying we were hoping for…
Challenging conditions in Silverstone☔️
Result : RUS, HAM, NOR, P4 Max , PIA, HUL, SAI, STR, ALB, ALO#F1 || #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/Wz0X7Q5hvX
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) July 6, 2024
Verstappen also understands that having two cars in front would have helped Red Bull get a better points haul, because unlike 2023, Red Bull isn’t the outright dominant team in F1 anymore. As such, he will have to bank on the weather playing a part in helping him get the best result possible.
The Dutch driver will start the British GP from P4 on the grid. Rivals surround him in front and behind him which makes the whole outing extremely daunting for Verstappen.
Max Verstappen has to battle three teams on his own
Mercedes secured a 1-2 in Silverstone with George Russell finishing ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Behind them, Lando Norris’ McLaren will start, just in front of Verstappen.
Verstappen would ideally want to keep his eyes in front, but Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri starts in fifth. And if the Aussie gets a better start, the three-time champion is in for a very difficult race.
McLaren and Mercedes have proven to be better than Red Bull so far this weekend. Another former front-runner in Ferrari isn’t too far behind, with Carlos Sainz in P7. The Spaniard was sure that his team would find the pace to compete on Sunday, which means Verstappen has to single-handedly fight against three teams.
