Sky Sports F1 pundit Bernie Collins thinks Sergio Perez now faces a ‘disadvantage’ in the Japanese GP, despite the Red Bull star qualifying second to just Max Verstappen.
Three-time reigning drivers’ champion Verstappen secured his 36th career pole position and his fourth in 2024 this Saturday. He has topped each qualifying session over the early rounds of the campaign, and is also on a run of five in a row thanks to the 2023 finale Abu Dhabi GP.
Verstappen will hope his latest pole also lets the Red Bull driver return to the top step of the podium. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz ended the Dutchman’s run of nine Grand Prix victories in a row at the Australian GP when a brake issue made Verstappen retire on only the third lap.
Sergio Perez secures his best qualifying of 2024 so far at the Japanese GP
Red Bull will also hope a front-row start helps Perez bounce back after failing to capitalise on Verstappen’s retirement in Melbourne. The 34-year-old could only finish the Australian GP in P5, despite sealing P2 in the Bahrain GP and the Saudi Arabian GP to hit 37 career podiums.
A visor tear-off becoming lodged in the floor of Perez’s RB20 compromised his race last time out in Melbourne. But he also hindered his own race by receiving a three-place grid penalty after impeding Nico Hulkenberg in Q1. It dropped the Mexican down from his P3 start to P6.
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Perez will now begin his first Grand Prix of 2024 on the front row after taking second to Red Bull teammate Verstappen in qualifying for the Japanese GP. The Guadalajara native sealed P5 in Q3 for the Bahrain GP and P3 in Q3 for the Saudi Arabian GP to kick off this campaign.
Bernie Collins feels Red Bull driver Sergio Perez is at a ‘disadvantage’ at Suzuka
Perez even threatened to steal pole position for the Japanese GP away from Verstappen this Saturday. He qualified just 0.066 seconds slower than the Dutchman’s lap, with Lando Norris of McLaren 0.226s behind the Mexican. It would have marked only Perez’s fourth pole in F1.
But former Aston Martin strategy engineer Collins thinks starting the Japanese GP in second is actually a ‘disadvantage’ for Perez with his teammate Verstappen on pole. Their front-row lock-out is great for Red Bull as they can manage the start, but Perez faces a worse strategy.
“It’s crucial, first of all, for Turn 1,” Collins said on Sky Sports F1 (6/4, 08:17). “Getting off the line, you know the person beside you, you know how aggressive they’re going to be, you can discuss it in advance. You know what tyre they’re starting on when you get to the start line.
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“And then as you work through the race, can they work together? How they can plan their pit stops [and] how they go through safety cars. It is going to be a bit of a disadvantage to Checo because Verstappen should have the upper hand. He can’t stop on the same lap.”
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