Saudi Arabian GP: “It hurts because we did everything we possibly could,” Sergio Perez speaks of poorly timed safety car which cost him the race

Saudi Arabian GP: “It hurts because we did everything we possibly could,” Sergio Perez speaks of poorly timed safety car which cost him the race

Disappointed Sergio Perez whose race was hurt by the safety car

Sergio Perez, who started the second race of the 2022 season, the Saudi Arabian GP, as the pole sitter, finished P4, as his race suffered massively due to the yellow flag and the safety car, which was brought on after Nicholas Latifi crashed on the final corner of the track. The Red Bull driver had pitter only a lap before, whereas the other drivers pitter under the safety car.

Under the safety car, drivers such as Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, and Carlos Sainz gained an advantage of roughly 8 seconds, as compared to Checo, who found himself on fourth after the safety car because he had to give his third position to Carlos Sainz who was exiting the pits. All of this combined proved to be disastrous for him.

The Red Bull driver, speaking of this entire situation, said to Sky Sports F1, “We had the undercut and the margin that we were looking for, we got it, and things were looking really good, but unfortunately Latifi put it in the wall at the wrong time for me. This is racing. It will come around for us one day, but it hurts because we did everything we possibly could do win this race from pole.”

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Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz’s view of the situation

Sergio Perez at the Saudi Arabian GP
Sergio Perez

Perez, whose undercut at Carlos Sainz failed as the safety car went back, had to concede his third position to the Ferrari driver. Speaking of this situation, he said, “I was told to give the place back, so I gave it back. I felt that was fair enough.”

“After the virtual safety car, I think I picked up a bit of speed. I came close, but then there was the yellow flags on the finals laps so I had to slow down and I couldn’t do much more,” he concluded.

Carlos Sainz, who benefitted tremendously from the safety car and successfully held on to his third position, said, “It was a close call there with Checo, but in the end, I think he got a bit unlucky with a safety car obviously, but the rules are the rules. I think I was just ahead at the safety car line, which it was my position then, and since then, it was all about holding on to P3.”

The race was eventful and intense. We saw great battles and plenty of crashes over the weekend. The track proved to be as fast as last year’s Saudi Arabian GP and Sergio Perez would definitely seek his redemption next year.

ALSO READ: Saudi Arabian GP 2022: Three winners from the second race of the season