Perez had another tricky qualifying session in Canada
Sergio Perez says he struggled with his Red Bull RB20 while qualifying a frustrated 16th in a “strange session” in Canada.
Like other drivers Perez had difficulties with tyre temperatures, and was lacking rear grip.
The Mexican qualified 18th in the last race in Monaco, although he also started 16th there after penalties for the Haas drivers gave him a boost.
The difficult Montreal weekend comes just a few days after he was confirmed at RBR until 2026.
“It’s a massive frustration,” he said when asked by this writer about his qualifying. “I think it was a session where everything was reset with the weather, and we just couldn’t get everything to work, especially the rear axle.
“I think it was a very strange session for a lot of cars out there, and we did the struggle quite a lot with the rear end. So I think we’ve got to understand what’s the reason behind it.”
Perez made it clear that there are lessons to be learned from how the session played out.
“I think in hindsight, there are things we could have done better, but fundamentally, we were lacking some pace today,” he said.
“I think the track being so green, it really reset things up. But I was just struggling to put the temperature into the tyre, and I think that was the main trouble.
“I think we’ve got some bits to understand. And hopefully we get through tomorrow, and if we are able to secure a couple of points that will be a good result. And then really just go from there.”
Regarding the bigger picture he said: “I think when you look at the Ferraris, they were on pole in Monaco, and I think this track is not very different to that.
“I think it’s a long season. It will only matter where we finish in Abu Dhabi. There will be very different tracks coming up. But like I say, I think we’ve got some fundamental issue today that we have to understand.”
Adam Cooper F1 