Sergio Perez admits he struggles with the Red Bull in low-grip conditions after being eliminated in Q1 at the British Grand Prix.
The Mexican has now failed to reach Q3 in five consecutive qualifying sessions, leaving him starting from 15th on the grid at Silverstone after gaining a position due to Valtteri Bottas’ disqualification. With light rain falling and wet patches during qualifying, Perez concedes it represents the scenario he finds the most difficult to handle.
“I think in these conditions it’s where I struggle the most with the car,” Perez said. “My issues with the car become more apparent in the changeable conditions, so I think it’s something as a group we need to get on top of and understand what we are able to do better, simple as that.”
However, Perez also says he wasn’t helped by the amount of time he had to sit at the end of the pit lane during a red flag delay in Q1, with his tires rapidly losing temperature.
“Yeah, the red flag lasted longer than we expected initially — that didn’t help for the temperature of the tire. Just a shame to lose out as we had a great Friday — the race pace was looking really good. Starting from the back it’s going to be another race where we try and minimize the damage.”
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Despite another tough Saturday, Perez was defended by Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, who backed his race performances.
“He has to get this under control,” Marko told Sky Germany when asked about Perez’s qualifying issues. “Normally he delivers well in the races. He can overtake well here. It’s a weakness, even in his past. It just happens too often. We have to work on it. When one (car) is on pole and he’s 16th…
“But he’s second in the world championship. There is currently no need for action. In addition, there is no one we could replace him with.”