Sergio Perez was on the wrong end of a huge surprise in qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Perez will start Sunday’s race from 11th after failing to make it out of Q2.
It completed a nightmare day for the Mexican, who had crashed out in the final practice session. Red Bull were able to fix his car in time for him to take a full part in qualifying, but he struggled to take advantage.
As the clock ticked down in Q2, Perez found himself in the drop zone behind RB driver Daniel Ricciardo. He knew he needed to find time to make it to the top-ten shoot-out.
But while the 34-year-old did improve, it wasn’t enough to dislodge Ricciardo. Teammate Max Verstappen would underline the car’s potential by continuing his 100% pole position record in 2024.
Perez hadn’t finished lower than sixth in any qualifying session this season. In fact, he’d joined Verstappen on the front row at two of the last three races.
But this was an unwelcome flashback to the 2023 season, when Saturday struggles so often proved his undoing. He failed to reach Q3 nine times in what was the most dominant car in F1 history.
Karun Chandhok stunned by Sergio Perez qualifying upset at Imola
Speaking live on Sky Sports F1, pundit Karun Chandhok simply offered a one-word reaction as Perez’s exit was confirmed – ‘wow’. Replays showed that he’d taken too much kerb on the entry to the Variante Alta chicane, unsettling the RB20.
Perez then came over team radio to describe the end of his qualifying as a ‘mess’. And that puzzled Chandhok.
The former Hispania driver was unsure whether or not he was referring to his own performance. Outwardly, there didn’t seem to be anything hampering him.
“Is he talking about his lap?” Chandhok asked in response to the radio message. “Because I didn’t see any traffic around him.”
Pundit predicts Sergio Perez will lose Red Bull seat
Saturday’s events come as a blow to Perez as he tries to earn a contract extension at Red Bull. His deal expires at the end of the year, so he needs to earn the team’s faith for 2025 and potentially beyond.
Up to this point, he’s seemingly been doing enough. He’s second to Verstappen in the championship, 33 points back, and has finished on the podium in four out of six Grands Prix.
But at a track where it’s difficult to overtake, it will be difficult to score a significant number of points on Sunday, even if the Red Bull remains the class of the field. This is the first real setback of the season for Perez, and his response will be key.
Pundit and racing driver Justin Bell has predicted that he’ll not only lose his Red Bull drive, but also his spot on the F1 grid. He believes that Perez is under mounting pressure.
Team principal Christian Horner is apparently keen to put free-agent Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz in the car alongside Verstappen. But he’s facing push-back from Helmut Marko, who would prefer to retain the current pairing.
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