F1 News: Pundit Criticises Sergio Perez's Recent Performance - "Utterly Hopeless Move"

Sky F1 pundit Jolyon Palmer highlights a series of questionable decisions by Red Bull's Sergio Perez in recent races, raising concerns about the driver's on-track judgment.

Sky F1 pundit Jolyon Palmer offered a sharp critique of Sergio Perez's racing tactics during the recent Grands Prix in Singapore and Japan. Citing a series of on-track incidents, Palmer questioned Perez's race craft.

Key Takeaways:

• In the Singapore Grand Prix, Perez's collision with Yuki Tsunoda led to the AlphaTauri's retirement, and a subsequent clash with Alex Albon cost both drivers valuable points.
• Perez faced more controversy in Japan after an attempted overtake on Kevin Magnussen resulted in both drivers suffering.
• Jolyon Palmer, expressing his views in a Formula 1 website column, suggested that Perez's on-track judgement and decision-making have been noticeably lacking in recent races.

Perez has faced a challenging stretch, marked by several high-profile errors. His Marina Bay fiasco saw him attempt an overtake on Tsunoda, ending in a collision and ultimately causing Tsunoda's retirement due to rear-right suspension damage. Perez's troubles didn't end there; he later collided with Albon at Turn 13, which resulted in a five-second penalty, thwarting any hopes Albon had for a points finish.

The following race in Japan echoed similar troubles for the Red Bull driver. Perez found himself entangled in another controversy, this time attempting a daring move on Magnussen at Turn 11. This decision, unfortunately, ended with Magnussen finishing last and Perez earning another five-second penalty.

Sharing his observations, Jolyon Palmer expressed his concerns about Perez’s recent form. 

“In Singapore, Perez knocked Tsunoda into retirement on the opening lap, T-boned Albon out of the points late on and received a redundant five-second penalty that didn’t affect his position," Palmer noted.

"While two of F1’s smaller teams were left to rue huge missed opportunities."

Drawing attention to Perez's actions in Japan, Palmer added:

“It was a move that was no doubt borne out of frustration at being in the fastest car and stuck for longer than anticipated behind Sunday’s slowest team, while being desperate to recover some ground. But it was also an utterly hopeless move for a driver who seems to have forgotten his race craft.”

Palmer concluded by highlighting the concerning pattern in Perez's recent driving style, remarking on the difference from Perez’s earlier career reputation of being a calculated and committed driver.