Saudi Arabia Grand Prix – Perez: We really had a bad timing
At the start of the race, the favorite, Sergio Perez's car, will ultimately ruin any chance of victory due to the safety car on the 16th lap.
On Saturday in qualifying, Sergio Perez delivered a superb lap to place his Red Bull in first position, just 25 milliseconds ahead of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. He also became the first Mexican in Formula 1 history to start a Grand Prix from pole position.
At the lights out, the Mexican managed to stay ahead in the race and create a 2-second gap with the Monégasque.
It is on the 15th lap that the race of the former Force India driver turns into a nightmare. Indeed, Charles Leclerc forces him to stop at the pitstop hoping to cover the strategy of the red team, but the Monegasque actually stays on the track.
A poor strategic choice followed by the emergence of the safety car one lap later due to Nicholas Latifi’s crash, which will crucify Sergio Perez. Indeed, all of his rivals pit, and on the 21st lap, Perez finds himself in 4th place.
Unable to catch up with Carlos Sainz towards the end of the race, Sergio Perez misses out on a podium position, while he seemed to be heading towards his 3rd career victory at the beginning of the race.
There was nothing I could do at that moment. We really had bad timing. At least the car is fast.
After his retirement in Bahrain due to a technical issue, Sergio Perez currently holds only the 7th position in the driver’s standings behind Esteban Ocon and the two Mercedes.
Despite this disappointing start to the season, it will be important for Perez to keep his spirits up not only to support Verstappen in his fight for the title, but also to manage to beat very competitive Ferraris this season.
