Sergio Perez had a tough outing at the 2024 Spanish GP compared to his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen. After a disappointing P8 finish in Barcelona, the #11 driver has opened up about the reasons why he struggled.
Perez was quoted on X (formerly Twitter) as explaining, “I had a difficult weekend in Spain but it’s one we have learnt from. I struggled with the balance of the car all weekend. We couldn’t get the set-up consistent and in a window for qualifying or to race.”
Perez could only qualify in eighth and could not improve on his grid position during Sunday’s Grand Prix. The Mexican racing driver also highlighted the three-place grid penalty carried forward from Canada as a factor that made it hard for him in Spain.
Team advisor Helmut Marko also concurred with his driver’s analysis as the Austrian admitted that the team had arrived at the circuit with “an unbalanced car”. Despite Perez‘s issues with the RB20 at Barcelona, the Spanish GP has just been the latest iteration of the #11 driver’s drop in form recently.
Sergio Perez: I had a difficult weekend in Spain but it’s one we have learnt from. I struggled with the balance of the car all weekend. We couldn’t get the set-up consistent and in a window for qualifying or to race the race we wanted, the grid place penalty also harmed us. pic.twitter.com/mLwq4PFCkv
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) June 26, 2024
The last four rounds of the F1 championship have only seen Perez score eight points for the team. This trend becomes increasingly concerning for Red Bull, given that their rivals have caught up.
Red Bull needs Sergio Perez to rediscover his form
Red Bull currently hold a 60 advantage over their rivals in the Constructors’ Championship. But given the performance uptick shown by the likes of McLaren and Mercedes recently, that gap would not be enough to defend their title with only one driver essentially scoring the points.
With Red Bull also recently extending Perez’s contract for a further two seasons, they will expect the Mexican to improve on his results. Amid the increasing pressure on Perez, team principal Christian Horner is confident that extending the former Racing Point driver’s contract will give him the confidence to deliver better results for Red Bull in the future.
Perez: This weekend in Austria we have everything in place to have a cleaner weekend, the Team and I know where we must improve and make changes and we will implement them.
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) June 26, 2024
Furthermore, Perez himself is confident that he can have a better race in Austria this weekend as he now knows where to improve.
