Perez "very sorry" to Red Bull after Imola F1 woes
Sergio Perez has apologised to the Red Bull Formula 1 team for his troubled run at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix that left him out of the points.
The Mexican had qualified on the front row at Imola, but his hopes of a good finish were wrecked by a spate of incidents in the tricky conditions.
He spun early on behind the safety car, and was then handed a 10-second stop/go penalty for overtaking rivals as he regained his original position.
Later on in the race after the red flag restart, he spun once again – dropping him well down the order and leaving him 11th in the final result following Kimi Raikkonen’s penalty.
PLUS: How the Emilia Romagna GP result hinged on three crucial saves
Perez felt bad for his team and has vowed to learn lessons from what happened, as he admitted that he was left on the back foot by having his first experience of running a Red Bull car in wet conditions.
Speaking after the race, Perez said: “Basically it has been a very bad day and a bad job. I am very sorry to the team, so I am looking forward to learning from what went wrong.
“I didn’t know this car in these conditions and it took a lot to put the right temperature into the tyres in the early laps.
“Not knowing how much I could do with the set-up in the car made it really tricky, and I did a mistake. I will learn from it and do better from it for the team, because today we should have been one and two.”
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB16B, runs wide
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner defended Perez’s performance, saying that he fully understood that his driver was lacking mileage in the car.
And, on a weekend where Perez had proved his single lap pace as he delivered the best qualifying result of his career, Horner was sure there were better days ahead.
“I think that it's just time in the seat and he did a good job [in qualifying],” he said. “I think it was a messier race for him.
“Obviously the mistake behind the safety car early on, the 10-second penalty, and then unfortunately the mistake behind the Ferraris at the restart was a shame because he could well have been on the podium as well.
“So it is frustrating not to have him up there. But, you know, he's certainly finding his pace and finding his feet. And I'm sure he's going to have much stronger weekends ahead.”
Related video
10 things we learned from F1's 2021 Emilia Romagna GP
How 2021's midfielders have taken lessons from F1's top teams
How studying Schumacher helped make Coulthard a McLaren F1 mainstay
Winner of 13 grands prix including Monaco and survivor of a life-changing plane crash, David Coulthard could be forgiven for having eased into a quiet retirement – but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, in fact he’s busier than ever, running an award-winning media company and championing diversity in motor racing. Not bad for someone who, by his own admission, wasn’t quite the fastest driver of his generation…
How Red Bull found more downforce for Hungary
Red Bull initially feared it would be on the back foot at Formula 1’s Hungarian Grand Prix, with the team seemingly less comfortable at high downforce circuits than previous years.
Russell: Hungary pole justifies faith in Mercedes F1 car concept
George Russell believes Mercedes’ pole position and double podium finish in Hungary last weekend justifies its decision to stick with its current Formula 1 car concept.
Alpine confident it will beat Aston Martin while Alonso is there
Alpine Formula 1 boss Otmar Szafnauer believes that his team can continue to outperform Aston Martin during Fernando Alonso’s tenure at the Silverstone squad when he switches camps for 2023.
How studying Schumacher helped make Coulthard a McLaren F1 mainstay
Winner of 13 grands prix including Monaco and survivor of a life-changing plane crash, David Coulthard could be forgiven for having eased into a quiet retirement – but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, in fact he’s busier than ever, running an award-winning media company and championing diversity in motor racing. Not bad for someone who, by his own admission, wasn’t quite the fastest driver of his generation…
Could F1 move to a future beyond carbonfibre?
Formula 1 has ambitious goals for improving its carbon footprint, but could this include banishing its favoured composite material? PAT SYMONDS considers the alternatives to carbonfibre and what use, if any, those materials have in a Formula 1 setting
How Russell has proven he deserves to be Hamilton's Mercedes heir
He’s fast, he’s smart, and he’s already shown he’s not going to let Max Verstappen intimidate him. George Russell won’t say it, but LUKE SMITH says he’s ready to take the lead at Mercedes when Lewis Hamilton moves on to a quieter life. And – whisper it – Mercedes and Lewis are starting to think so too
The traits that fuelled Alonso's unexpected Aston Martin move
Fernando Alonso’s bombshell switch to Aston Martin sent shockwaves through Formula 1, not least at Alpine that finds itself tangled in a contract standoff with Oscar Piastri. Not shy of a bold career move and with a CV punctuated by them, there were numerous hints that trouble was brewing
The elements Ferrari must resolve to first save face, then win championships
OPINION: Ferrari's Formula 1 title hopes look all but over after another strategic blunder in last week's Hungarian Grand Prix denied Charles Leclerc the chance to fight for victory, while handing it to chief rival Max Verstappen. The Scuderia now faces intense scrutiny over what it must now do to finally become a genuine factor in championship battles
The clues about Hamilton’s F1 retirement plans revealed after Vettel’s decision
OPINION: Sebastian Vettel is set to leave Formula 1 at the end of 2022 and will, rather shockingly, be replaced by Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin. But what about the final chapter of the other driver that defined the post-Michael Schumacher era? In Hungary, Lewis Hamilton spoke about his future in the context of Vettel’s upcoming departure, which offered clues on how long it will last
Why all signs point to F1’s Monaco special relationship continuing
OPINION: With more potential venues than there are slots in future calendars, rumours have been circulating that the Monaco Grand Prix could be a casualty of F1’s expansion into new markets. But MARK GALLAGHER thinks this is highly unlikely
Hungarian Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2022
The Hungarian Grand Prix race result, after a dry race held without safety car conditions, bore little resemblance to what was anticipated after qualifying. While certain drivers were nullified by some iffy strategy calls, others shone to grasp opportunities afforded to them in the last F1 race before the summer break