The Canadian Grand Prix provided some incredibly tough conditions for drivers to negotiate with dry, intermediate and wet tyres all seen at some point during the race.
Drivers had to be at the very top of their game to not only survive the race but come away with any points.
The likes of Yuki Tsunoda and Carlos Sainz made late mistakes that ultimately cost them their chances of securing a top-ten finish.
Jacques Villeneuve was covering the race for Sky Sports F1 and dissecting the result in a drizzly paddock in Montreal.
There are five retirements by the end of the race, with both Williams and Ferrari cars failing to reach the chequered flag.
That quartet was joined by 39-podium driver Sergio Perez in the garage after his torrid weekend was topped off by finding the barriers at turn six.
Villeneuve believes that Perez simply can’t control this year’s Red Bull car and is way off the pace compared to teammate Max Verstappen.
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Jacques Villeneuve believes Sergio Perez can’t control his 2024 Red Bull car
Sergio Perez’s season can be split in two already despite being less than 10 race weekends into the 2024 campaign.
The Mexican finished on the podium four times in the first five races and was runner-up to Max Verstappen on three of those occasions.
His inability to capitalise on Verstappen’s retirement in Australia looked like a one-off but may now have been the beginning of another worrying trend.
Red Bull confirmed that Perez would be staying with the team beyond 2024 despite his recent form.
Villeneuve believes that Perez can’t get to grips with the RB20 and that’s causing him and the team some serious issues.
Verstappen is competing against McLaren and Ferrari almost singlehandedly at this stage and while he scored enough points to win the Constructors’ Championship last year, he’s very unlikely to be able to repeat those heroics this year.
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Talking about the Red Bull, Villeneuve said: “It’s a difficult car to drive, you see it with [Sergio] Perez, he cannot get a handle on it.
“Max [Verstappen] has to drive harder than he did in the past and that’s why you see the car being difficult and on the limit and he’s making a big gap with Perez, he’s the one who’s winning the races.”
Martin Brundle admitted during the race that he had forgotten Perez was still taking part in the Grand Prix.
He failed to make his way through the pack to join the frontrunners despite Verstappen proving the car was fast enough to challenge for victory.
Perez hit Pierre Gasly on the opening lap and eventually put his car in the wall as he spun off at turn six.
The damage to his rear wing was extensive and while he didn’t want to bring out a safety car that would have compromised his teammate’s race, he’s been penalised with a three-place grid penalty for the next race in Spain.
Considering he’s not got out of Q1 at the past two Grand Prix, that could mean Perez starting on the back row of the grid in Barcelona if he doesn’t improve.
The post ‘Cannot get a handle’: Jacques Villeneuve says 39-podium driver simply can’t control ‘difficult’ 2024 car appeared first on F1 Oversteer.