Sergio Perez suffered undisclosed damage during the Australian Grand Prix, of which he was unaware throughout the race.
The Red Bull team faced unknown challenges during the Australian Grand Prix. The three-time world champion encountered an issue with overheating on the right rear brake, which forced him to retire from the race. This put the spotlight on Perez to achieve a favorable result for the Milton-Keynes based team.
Perez displayed impressive speed until overtaking the Aston Martin driver in the middle of the race. However, his performance and the pace of the RB20 deteriorated suddenly, preventing him from progressing further. This was unexpected considering the usual dominance of the RB20. It was revealed after the race that the reason for Perez’s sudden drop in pace was due to the damage suffered when overtaking the Spaniard.
Team principal Christian Horner also noted that Perez was not aware of this damage, causing him to lose grip and downforce in certain parts of the track. Increased tire degradation at Albert Park also added to Perez’s challenges, forcing him to focus on managing his race rather than trying to catch the McLarens.
The Australian GP witnessed significant tire degradation throughout the weekend, and this issue affected several drivers during the race. Perez, as a Red Bull driver, also faced this problem.
After the conclusion of the Grand Prix, Perez discussed how tire wear negatively impacted his race. He also mentioned that the setup chosen by him and the Red Bull team may have exacerbated the issue throughout the race in Melbourne.
The tire wear issues of Perez only added to the difficulties faced by the Red Bull team during the weekend. With both Red Bull cars missing from the podium, it remains to be seen how the team will respond to this disappointing performance in Japan in a few weeks.
© 2024
