In a tumultuous Jeddah race, Sergio Pérez confronts pit release error, amassing penalty points amidst a strong performance.
Sergio Pérez experienced a largely positive race in Jeddah, despite a risky pit lane release he could have avoided. As a result, the Red Bull driver received a penalty point, bringing his total to 8. He must steer clear of reaching 12 points before the Singapore GP, the first race where his total will decrease.
“It was a bit more chaotic. I had an excellent start. Unfortunately, I couldn’t maintain the advantage over Charles, and I obviously left him space in turn 2, and he had the upper hand in turn 4,” Pérez recounted, having initially overtaken Charles Leclerc at the second turn before quickly being overtaken again.
“So, it was a good start, once more. And from there, I managed to pass Charles in two or three laps. And the race was looking good. I was less than three seconds behind Max, and I think the degradation on this medium stint was quite good. But unfortunately, we had to deal with an early safety car.”
“This meant everyone had to pit. And when I came out, it was actually a mistake on my part because the team had told me to hold back. But in hindsight, when I looked right, there was no one when I checked. But with hindsight, I think the penalty was correct and it compromised our race.”
A mistake that did not change the outcome of the race
He admits he might not have optimized the moment he checked his mirrors in the pit lane: “You’re capable of having a certain awareness of what’s happening around you, for sure. And when I looked in my mirrors, there was no one.”
“I didn’t see anyone. So, it happens that the team might be a bit slower than you in the car. But this time, it was the other way around. So yes, it’s my fault this time, but fortunately, it didn’t change the race.”
When asked what he did better this Saturday than the previous one, Pérez discussed race management: “I think it lies in the things we do with the car. I think last weekend’s race was really bad in terms of management, degradation.”
“But we’ve understood the reasons. The race was quite good today because we were able to make progress from Friday to the race. But I think in qualifying, we took a step back.”
“And that’s the main key to our weekend, understanding why we were slower than during FP2 when you correct all the parameters. So, we need to understand the reasons and make sure we can continue to progress.”
Pérez Jeddah race penalty. Pérez Jeddah race penalty
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