WATCH: Sergio Perez tackles a plastic bag on the track at British GP in Free practice that Max Verstappen labeled ‘driving on ice’
Sergio Perez was caught off-guard during FP1 at Silverstone when he encountered a plastic bag on track.
Sergio Perez spots a bag on track during British GP Free Practice 1 (Credits: @SkySportsF1/Twitter)
The British GP weekend is underway. The historic race takes place at the iconic Silverstone circuit that has given the sport some memorable races. Certainly, fans and teams have been waiting for this highly-anticipated race. However, the first practice session had a rather odd incident when Sergio Perez spotted a plastic bag on the track.
Perez was on the run in the first practice session when the Mexican driver informed his team on the radio. He said, “There was a bag in the middle of the track.” The 33-year-old failed to dodge the plastic bag during his lap. Even the commentators were surprised to see this item on the tarmac in this peculiar incident.
This is not how Sergio Perez expected the British GP weekend to start. The 33-year-old is focused on making a strong mark after a good result in the last round in Austria. At the same time, Perez’s teammate Max Verstappen was not happy with his run in Free Practice 1. The two-time world champion expressed his frustration on the team radio and said he was ‘driving on ice’ mentioning the poor grip on the track.
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Perez has failed to make it to the Top 10 Qualifying shootout for the past four races. Even though the 33-year-old has the fastest car on the grid, on the other hand, Max Verstappen, has gone to clinch pole position at all these rounds. As such, pressure has been building on the Mexican driver to perform to secure his place on the Milton Keynes-based team.
Red Bull is infamous for firing or demoting drivers for poor performances, such as Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly. Subsequently, it is believed that Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have kept the door open for a potential replacement for Sergio Perez. Perez must be at the top of his game at Silverstone to qualify at the front to prove his pace again.
Thus, Sergio Perez faced an unusual encounter during Free Practice 1 at Silverstone. Thankfully, the plastic bag did not cause any issues for the Mexican driver, and his car remained unaffected. However, it would be interesting to see if the British GP has more in store for drivers and fans throughout the entire Grand Prix weekend.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2310 Articles Published)