Sergio Perez expressed his frustration with the limitations in finding the right balance for his Red Bull car during the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix. Despite qualifying in eighth place, Perez was disappointed with his performance as he trailed behind his teammate Max Verstappen by over six tenths of a second. He also found himself behind several other competitors, including Ferraris, Mercedes, McLarens, and Pierre Gasly from Alpine. Perez acknowledged an error on his final lap that prevented him from achieving a higher position. Throughout the weekend, Perez struggled to optimize the setup of his RB20 car, which hindered his ability to take advantage of the track evolution. Despite these challenges, Perez remained hopeful for a better race car and focused on improving tire degradation for the next race.
Perez’s choice to customize his vehicle for a race-focused setup comes after receiving a penalty in Canada, which pushed him to the 11th place on the starting grid.
“I believe it has been crucial for us to stand out in this aspect,” he said in reference to his car being optimized for overtaking.
“Tomorrow’s race will be a long one. I hope we can quickly overtake the competitors ahead and make progress early on.”
Despite reports of Perez spending time in the Red Bull simulator, he mentioned that the unpredictable nature of the tires made it difficult to apply the knowledge gained in the simulator to the actual race weekend.
“We extensively examined the car,” he explained. “Our difficulties in Barcelona were more severe than expected.
“Sometimes, the correlation between the simulator and real performance can be unreliable. Tire issues have also been a challenge.
“Therefore, it has been quite challenging to establish a clear direction throughout the weekend, but we are gradually getting there.
“I hope that tomorrow we can demonstrate a strong race pace and make progress quickly.”
Perez emphasized after the second practice session that significant adjustments to the car’s setup actually worsened his performance, leading him to admit that he had explored too many options.
“This year has been much more challenging compared to last year,” he lamented. “Last year, the conditions played a role. It was wet, and I made it to Q2.
“This time, it was more about finding the right balance, which proved to be a limitation for me. The difference to Max has been very significant throughout the weekend. So, we have some work to do in that aspect.”
