Sergio Perez is confident he can outperform McLaren to secure the podium in the Hungarian GP

After a dreadful start to the weekend, Perez aims to fight his way up from P9.

Sergio Perez is confident he can outperform McLaren to secure the podium in the Hungarian GP

Sergio Perez (via Sky Sports F1)

Sergio Perez finally ended his five-race streak of not qualifying in Q1 in Hungary this weekend. Although he still didn’t get his desired result, the Mexican finished ninth in qualifying. Despite the second to last position in Q3, Perez still believes that a podium finish is on the table for him.

Sergio Perez believes that without the ‘Alternative Tire Allocation’ (ATA) experiment, where each driver is to use hards in Q1, mediums in Q2, and softs in Q3, he would’ve finished P4. The drivers head to race in the Hungaroring today, which is known to be difficult to overtake. Despite this, Perez is going into the race with an optimistic mindset, trying to learn from his earlier mistakes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi8zFzUWADY

“I’m optimistic. I really believe I can fight for the podium. I mean, if you look at the margins, a few tenths can change your life. But I am optimistic for tomorrow. In the end, it only matters where we finish tomorrow,” Perez told motorsport.

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Talking about his crash in FP1, Perez said, “Because you don’t want to make those kinds of mistakes. But the way I saw it, I shouldn’t look back, but look forward. I learn from it and leave everything behind.”

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Sergio Perez’s FP1 blunder costs Red Bull nearly $250,000

Sergio Perez
Sergio Perez (Credits: Crash.Net)

Perez entered this race weekend looking to answer the criticism he has received lately. But things didn’t go as planned. The Mexican crashed out, going just six minutes into FP1. Aside from casting a major doubt on Perez’s abilities, the crash has also cost Red Bull dearly.

Red Bull chief Helmut Marko claimed that the damage was contained in the front right corner. The cost of the injuries is reported to be nearly $250,000.  Aside from the monetary damages the team has to bear, the RB-19 had to be lifted out of the track, which exposed the car’s new upgrades to rival teams, which include a new floor design.

Also, Perez is left without spares due to the crash. Marko was asked about the situation. He made it very clear that while his teammate Max Verstappen has spare parts remaining, they won’t be used for Perez.

Heading into the race today, Perez cannot afford another rookie mistake like this. The Mexican starts at P9 and will aim for a podium finish at the Hungaroring to get some points before going into the summer break.

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