Sergio Perez blames himself for the blunder during Hungarian GP practice

Sergio Perez couldn’t go six minutes into FP1 without crashing out the newly upgraded RB19.

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez (Credits: Skysports)

During the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, Sergio Perez triggered a red flag within six minutes of his first out-lap as he lost control of his Red Bull at Turn 5. The team had introduced new upgrades for the RB19, aiming to improve the car’s performance by around two-tenths. Unfortunately, Perez didn’t have a chance to test these upgrades until the second practice session in Budapest.

According to Sergio Perez, it was merely a mistake on his part. He praised the team for their exceptional work in assembling the car and managing some running in FP2. Despite the setback, Perez found a positive side, mentioning that they collected valuable data to analyze.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y0Her7UDRI

“It was just a mistake from my side,” Perez admitted. “But the guys have done a tremendous job to get the car together and get some running in FP2,. At least we got some good data to look through.”

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Also read: Sergio Perez’s reckless move leaves Christian Horner fuming at Hungarian GP FP1 session

Sergio Perez shares his insights on the new tire strategy

Sergio Perez after his FP2 crash at the Hungarian GP (Image credit: F1)

Despite maintaining P2 in the standings, Sergio Perez faces mounting pressure as Red Bull strives for their first one-two finish with the dominant RB19. The team’s confidence secures Perez’s spot for the rest of the season. However, the crash during Hungarian Grand Prix practice was an unfortunate setback when he urgently requires a strong performance.

During the weekend, the Mexican racer shared his viewpoint on experimenting with a new tire strategy for qualifying. He emphasized the importance of finding a good balance across all compounds. They confirmed using various tire types during qualifying. According to Perez, his sessions yielded valuable information, particularly from running on the medium tire, offering useful insights.

Sergio Perez and Red Bull Racing turn this young fan's tears into big smiles with a special paddock invitation ?? #HungarianGP #F1 @redbullracing @SChecoPerez pic.twitter.com/VCs3NYHNWD
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 21, 2023

“With the weekend format in terms of tire usage, it will be very important to get a good balance through all compounds, because in qualifying we will be going through them all,” he explained. “We got good information, we managed to run the Medium tire as well, so some good info there.”

Back on the grid for Hungary, Daniel Ricciardo is racing with Red Bull’s sister team, AlphaTauri. It’s widely speculated that his performance is seen as an audition for Sergio Perez’s seat in the main Red Bull team. Perez heads into the Hungarian Grand Prix with a slender 19-point lead over Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso in the Drivers’ standings.