Sergio Perez blames scarcity of fresh tires for underwhelming Japanese GP qualifying

Sergio Perez had a tough outing during the qualifying session in Suzuka.

Sergio Perez blames scarcity of fresh tires for underwhelming Japanese GP qualifying

Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez (Via IMAGO)

The RB19 has proved to be a menace at the Suzuka International Race Course in the hands of Max Verstappen. But when it comes to Red Bull’s other driver, Sergio Perez, it has been a big struggle. The Mexican was facing several issues yesterday and for his average performance during the recently concluded quali session, he has blamed the shortage of tires as the main reason.

Sergio Perez used an extra set of tires during the Q2 session and because of this, had only one fresh set available during the final session. He feels had he managed to save one additional set, he could have secured second place instead of fifth, as the track was ramping up a lot during the dying stages of Q3.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zzqyphlmOE

While shedding light on the same after the closely contested qualifying session, he told the media, “We focused a lot on tomorrow because we knew that we didn’t have the pace on one lap but from there we can race and be in a good place for tomorrow. I have not been able to stabilize the car enough, we’ve tried and searched everywhere and it’s something that has returned (problems with the balance).”

He added, “We had made good progress in the last few races, in Zandvoort, Italy– but the car has felt a bit strange this weekend. Qualifying was not ideal, we went to Q3 with only one new set of tires and I think that perhaps those two-tenths that we needed to be second would have been possible with that set we lost in Q2.”

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Sergio Perez would look to make up places during the Japanese GP

While Sergio Perez is a bit gutted with his P5 starting position for tomorrow’s race, he is still in a decent place to end his Japanese GP exploits in the podium places. Starting in the third row is not a disaster as Perez will have the firepower in the form of the RB19 to overtake the cars starting ahead of him.

Sergio Perez (Credits: Planet F1
Sergio Perez (Credits: Planet F1

Moreover, during the ongoing campaign, Perez has made it a bit of a habit to start a Grand Prix in a disadvantageous position but make up a plethora of places during the race. The RB19 is incredibly strong in race-trim and considering this, he would back himself to breeze past a few cars during the initial few tussles.

Sergio Perez managed a P2 finish at the Suzuka International Race Course last year, and would ideally like a repeat of the same. But it will not be easy as the two McLarens have looked strong on the track, and Perez would be asked to get his elbows out to get the better of the young papaya duo.

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