F1 News: Sergio Perez Second Driver To Crash Out Of Imola FP3

Sergio Perez crashes at the end of the third and final Free Practice session in Imola.

May 5, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez (11) walks in the / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez crashes out of the third and final Free Practice session.

With the clock winding down, the Mexican driver misjudged the chicane using an aggressive line that saw him heavily use the kerbs. This decision proved costly as it unsettled his RB20, causing him to lose control and subsequently crash nose-first into the barriers.

At the time of his accident, Perez was attempting to improve his time, trailing McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by a significant 0.9 seconds after two sectors.

And we have another red flag! 🚩

Now Perez has found the barriers at the Varinate Alta chicane#F1 #ImolaGP pic.twitter.com/cPjEJDFj3u

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 18, 2024

The incident places immense pressure on the Red Bull mechanics. With the qualifying session looming just hours away, the team faces a tight deadline to assess and repair the substantial damages to Perez's car. The front end bore the brunt of the impact, and preliminary inspections suggest significant work ahead to get the chassis and suspension components back in race condition.

This comes after Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso crashed roughly half way through the session.

Amazingly, the RB20 was recovered quickly and the session resumed with 2 minutes on the clock giving the drivers one last chance for a flying lap before Qualifying later today.