F1 News: Sergio Perez Reveals What Went Wrong After Disaster Qualifying At Home Race

Alex Harrington | Oct 26, 2024

Oracle Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez talks to media at the Formula 1 Pirelli United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Sergio Perez faced an emotionally and technically challenging day at the 2024 Mexican Grand Prix today. Despite high expectations from his home crowd, Perez found himself in a familiar and frustrating place at the back of the grid, qualifying P18 for Sunday's Grand Prix.

Struggling with his Red Bull RB20, the Mexican was unable to advance beyond Q1, finishing a disappointing 18th place on the grid. The Mexican driver's issues were predominantly with braking and tire management, similar to that of the Austin circuit last weekend.

"Very difficult one, very difficult to stop the car. I just couldn’t get on top of it. I couldn’t stop the car soon enough and I was just putting too much energy into the tires braking. That was the main issue for me."

These challenges were not isolated to Mexico. This is reminiscent of the issues encountered in Austin, particularly in attacking low-speed corners, which he deemed to be a major issue.

"It was very similar to the rest of the weekend. I just cannot stop the car and I’m struggling a lot with that part of the phase going into the low-speed, it’s a little bit similar to Austin when I just cannot attack the corners into the braking, and here you have a lot of that."

The troubles began early in the qualifying session. As Q1 kicked off, the pressure was on Perez to deliver. The benchmark times set by Ferrari and Mercedes added to this, with Perez only able to manage the seventh fastest time initially. Throughout the session, a host of factors, including early tire strategies and the greening of the track, relegated him to a position within the elimination zone. Ultimately, the session concluded with Perez unable to improve his standing, sealing an unexpected and frustrating Q1 exit.

Samplings from the broader qualifying landscape revealed more about the hurdles Perez and Red Bull faced. Not just Perez, but also his teammate Max Verstappen found himself grappling with performance strugglesw. Despite clocking an impressive initial set of times in Q2, Verstappen also expressed concerns regarding the grip of the car.

This was compounded when his fastest Q3 lap was invalidated due to exceeding track limits.

Red Bull Racing has invested heavily in developing the RB20 to meet the demands of each race this season. However, mechanical and aerodynamic consistency seems to have slipped through their fingers on several occasions.

Despite these trials, Verstappen managed to secure a respectable second position on the grid, shadowing Carlos Sainz, who clinched pole position for Ferrari. Sainz's remarkable performance reinforced Ferrari's competitive standing this season, while Lando Norris added to McLaren's strong showing by securing third place.

Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri of McLaren faced his own challenges, being ousted from Q1 due to track limits breaches that voided his fastest laps. This marked a rare dip for Piastri, who had previously maintained a perfect Q3 qualification streak throughout the season.

Looking ahead to race day, Perez remains resolute.

"Tomorrow it’s just very important to try to maximise the day. If we are able to score some good points, it will be a tremendous effort, but it’s going to be very difficult from the position we’re in," h eexplained.