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 early on 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 in 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 close 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 it hard for us to progress and fight.»
Perez had higher expectations for the race: «I wanted more today. The qualifying race looked 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.»
El jefe del equipo Red Bull, Christian Horner, reflexionó sobre la carrera de Perez, observando el impacto del coche de seguridad y la estrategia de neumáticos del equipo: «Teníamos una estrategia agresiva de dos paradas, pero tuvimos mala suerte con el coche de seguridad, que jugó a favor de Lando Norris y Charles Leclerc. Ellos obtuvieron una parada en boxes gratis y lograron adelantar a Perez en la pista. Aunque logró pasar a Leclerc, no pudo alcanzar a Norris. Quizás forzamos demasiado los neumáticos al principio.»
A pesar de los desafíos, Perez sigue en segundo lugar en la clasificación de pilotos de la Fórmula 1 de 2024, pero su ventaja sobre Leclerc se redujo a solo nueve puntos.
