Max Verstappen was the match winner in Imola with pole position and victory on a difficult Formula 1 weekend for Red Bull. Teammate Sergio Perez, on the other hand, didn’t get anywhere at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. After a problematic qualifying, he didn’t make any progress in the race either. The strategy didn’t work and a driving error cost valuable time. In the end there was eighth place and the loss of second place in the overall standings.
“It was somehow clear to us what the best case scenario would be for us,” said Perez, who failed to reach Q3 in qualifying for the first time this year. Starting from eleventh place on the grid, he was one of three drivers in the field and opted for the hard tire for the first stint. In the starting lap he made a position against Daniel Ricciardo, but after that the offensive stalled. “We knew the car would be difficult at the beginning,” he explains.
It wasn’t until the Racing Bulls drivers and Nico Hülkenberg came to the pit stop on lap eleven that he had a free ride, lying in eighth place. However, the gap to Lewis Hamilton, who was driving in front of him, was already ten seconds. Trying to make up lost ground, Perez made a costly mistake in the first of the two Rivazza corners.
Driving errors cost additional time
“I had a brake in turn 16 and went straight. I also suffered some damage,” says the 34-year-old, who cost five seconds to ride into the gravel. After that, he and the Red Bull strategists only speculated on a safety car phase. But despite the numerous accidents this weekend and the historically high probability of neutralization in Imola, this scenario did not come true.
Perez held out on the hard tire until lap 38. “We were hoping that the safety car would come at the right time, which could have brought us back into the fight,” said the six-time Grand Prix winner. The long first stint ultimately had an even more negative effect, as the competition stormed up from behind after their pit stops on fresh tires and Perez had to endure numerous position changes.
“It was a very difficult first stint. I think the traffic situation also hindered us, all the drivers coming from behind,” said Perez, who did not get involved in duels. “I wanted to lose as little time as possible, but unfortunately the temperatures always drop towards the end of the stint and the grip was just terrible at that point.”
Red Bull didn’t expect anything more from Perez
After switching to the medium tires, Perez showed fast lap times at times, but there wasn’t much left to move forward. Hamilton was in seventh place and was already half a minute ahead. “It’s incredibly difficult to overtake here. The strategy of starting with hard tires was clear. So it was even more difficult at the beginning. I guessed eighth place, the optimists sixth. But on the track it was easy no longer possible,” explains Red Bull manager Dr. Helmut Marko at Servus TV.
Perez also blames the Imola track for his difficulties this weekend. So far this season he has done his job as Red Bull’s number two with three second places. The fact that it didn’t work out in Italy was an anomaly for him. “I think it has to do with the race track. We just have to keep working like this,” he says. “We see that McLaren and Ferrari have taken a step. So we have to keep going at full throttle. The season is still long and we have to make the most of our chances.”