A serious blow to the home crowd: Sergio Perez could not even advance from the first division to qualifying for the Mexican Grand Prix.
Sergio Perez has been complaining about his car all weekend – and looking at it from that point of view, what happened is not surprising. The Mexican competitor did not find common ground with the RB20 on the Mexican race track, it had no grip, and the front axle was not strong enough to attack and challenge corners. It's hard to be so fast.
Chancellor Helmut Marko previously stated before qualifying that Perez simply could not compile his laps in FP3 and that he would be satisfied if he could make it to Q3. It was very far from that. He also missed Q2 by 0.2 seconds, ultimately only managing an 18th place start.
“I couldn't stop the car early enough. However, I simply put too much energy into the tires when braking, which was my main problem.
“It was very similar in FP3 and all weekend. I had trouble slowing the car down, and it was the same in Austin. That way, you can't attack the corners on the braking distances. And there are a lot of them here…” Perez said after his elimination.
He pointed out that he has been suffering from a brake problem since the races, and they have not found a solution for it. “I can't slow down. As soon as I start attacking with the brakes, I just slide. That's my problem, and it shows up more here. Every time I attack while braking, I counter.”
It is especially painful for Peres that he suffers so much at home.
“This is the worst place it could be. I'm very disappointed. But there are still four races to go and I hope we can find a solution to this problem as a team.”
Until then, the Mexican Grand Prix still awaits him. He doesn't wait with bloody hopes… “Tomorrow I will try to make the most of today. If we manage to get a good point, it will be big, but from our position it will be very difficult.” – The Red Bull driver admitted.
