Sergio Perez has had a difficult couple of weeks heading into this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix as he has failed to qualify to Q3 in each of his last five qualifying sessions. And it seems that things have worsened even further for him after he crashed just five minutes into the first free practice session. Immediately after the Mexican crashed into the wall, the camera turned to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and advisor Helmut Marko, who seemed disappointed with Perez’s latest performance.
And it is fair to say that the timing of this crash could not be worse for the 33-year-old with Daniel Ricciardo making his return to the grid this weekend in Hungary. This is because the Australian has made it clear that he wants to use his time at AlphaTauri for the rest of this season to make a case for himself to get that second Red Bull seat next year.
Sergio Perez clips the grass and his FP1 ends in the barriers 💥#HungarianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/2sWABZXYQl
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 21, 2023
And the troubles for Perez just do not end there as Marko has also revealed few other concerns for the Mexican. Firstly, the Austrian revealed (as quoted by racingnews365.com) that Perez has already used his allocation of spare parts for the weekend. And secondly, he also had a conflicting opinion with the 33-year-old about his tire choice during free practice.
Sergio Perez and Helmut Marko in disagreement over tire choice
Following his crash during FP1, Sergio Perez told in his interview that he was happy with his run on the medium tire. As quoted by f1maximaal.nl, the Mexican said, “It becomes extremely important to find a good balance on all the different tire compounds, because we know we have to use them all in qualifying. I think we got good information. We managed to use the medium tires as well“.
The 33-year-old is making a reference to the change in the format for qualifying this weekend. This is because Q1 will require all the drivers to set their lap time on the hard tire, while the racers will only be able to use the medium tire for Q2. And it is only in the third and final part of qualifying that the drivers can use the soft tire.
Sergio Perez and Red Bull Racing turn this young fan’s tears into big smiles with a special paddock invitation 🥹💙 #HungarianGP #F1 @redbullracing @SChecoPerez pic.twitter.com/VCs3NYHNWD
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 21, 2023
Because of this change in format for qualifying this weekend, Marko was unhappy with Perez using the medium tires so early on in the weekend. The Austrian was presumably disappointed since teams get a limited number of tires for the weekend, and the Mexican has already used one sets of mediums on Friday itself. And it is not just Marko that seems disappointed with Perez but also Christian Horner.
Horner reveals his frustrations following Perez’s crash
While speaking to Sky Sports F1 (as quoted by marca.com), Christian Horner explained how it is frustrating for the team to see Sergio Perez crash so early on in the weekend. The British team principal revealed how the situation is not ideal for the time, and that he will have a word with Perez.
Soon after Horner expressed his frustrations with Perez, he was also asked about Daniel Ricciardo’s performance during free practice. And the 49-year-old had nothing but praises for the Australian.
Horner explained how the Honey Badger has done a fantastic job since the start of the season, and how the team is now keen to see how he progresses for the rest of this year. The Red Bull team principal’s remarks will undoubtedly be a concern for Perez as speculations continue to grow around the Mexican’s future at the team because of his recent struggles.
