Perez once again demonstrated his strength in the Formula 1 race in China, finishing in second place behind his teammate Max Verstappen, who secured pole position with a three-tenths of a second advantage.
However, Perez’s performance during the race was less convincing. He lost to Fernando Alonso at the start and couldn’t catch up to Lando Norris in the end. The timing of the Safety Car was also not favorable for him.
Nevertheless, Perez managed to secure the final spot on the podium, surpassing Leclerc. He expressed his disappointment at losing tire grip after battling with the Monegasque driver.
In Red Bull’s post-race report, Perez commented on the impact of the safety car: “The safety car hurt us today. It would have been a tight race, but unfortunately, it came at the wrong time and put us at a disadvantage, resulting in the loss of two positions.”
He also acknowledged tire degradation: “Fighting with Charles damaged my tires, making it difficult for me. The level of degradation on this track made our progress challenging and we struggled.”
Perez had higher expectations for the race: “I wanted more today. The qualifying race seemed promising, but we couldn’t capitalize on it. We made some changes that may have affected our performance. We will review them for Miami to ensure continuous progress and better weekends.”
The Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, reflected on Perez’s race, noting the impact of the safety car and the team’s tire strategy: “We had an aggressive two-stop strategy, but we were unlucky with the safety car, which worked in favor of Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc. They gained a free pit stop and managed to overtake Perez on track. Although he was able to pass Leclerc, he couldn’t catch Norris. Maybe we pushed the tires too hard at the beginning.”
Despite the challenges, Perez remains in second place in the 2024 Formula 1 drivers’ standings, but his lead over Leclerc has decreased to just nine points.
