Sergio Perez gives his verdict on Red Bull's upgrade package after a disappointing Imola GP qualifying

Sergio Perez believes Red Bull’s upgrade package had nothing to do with his dismal qualifying ahead of the Imola GP. Speaking to media including Sportskeeda, the Mexican driver claimed it was just the tricky nature of the circuit that made it difficult to master.

Eliminated in Q2, Sergio Perez classified 11th in the qualifying behind Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg. The Red Bull drivers looked uncomfortable with their cars after being upgraded to a new package in Imola. While neither had a strong showing in the practice sessions, Max Verstappen managed pole with help from Haas’ German driver in the final session. The Dutchman had scraped through Q1 and Q2 but was nowhere in the top three.

A tow from Hulkenberg and track evolution helped the Dutch champion clinch his eighth consecutive pole. However, for Sergio Perez, the balance and setups didn’t seem to come through this weekend. He could not get a clean lap to make it to the top ten of the grid. He felt that the tricky nature of the circuit made it difficult to string a good lap.

Asked by Sportskeeda if the upgrades changed anything in Imola or put him on the back foot, Sergio Perez said:

“No I just think its just a very tricky track to get it properly right, we were playing a lot with the car, with a lot of stuff with the ride, with the setup here and there. We just tried everything, I think it was good to see Max did a lot of progress. I felt from my side the car was getting better, but unfortunately we just didn’t get to show it.”

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Sergio Perez reveals tire choice let him down in Imola GP qualifying

Sergio Perez believes that despite making progress in the final practice session, there was no opportunity for a good showing. He felt his laps in Q1 were not smooth and he had to rely on a scrubbed tire to scrape through the session. By Q2, the Mexican driver had an excess rear grip, making him lock up into turn 7. Unable to string a clean lap, he was eliminated from the session.

When asked where he lost lap time in the qualifying session, Sergio Perez said:

“Yeah I think we were making some good progress especially from this morning, and also with the long run. I think we’ve been playing with the car quite a lot, probably the most through the weekend. Unfortunately I think my first lap in Q1 wasn’t ideal, so we were not safe. So we put another set of tires and by doing that basically meant that I was on scrubbed tires for my final run of quali. And when I put the new tyres into quali 2, I just picked up a lot of rear grip and I went straight into turn 7, front lock. Lost two and a half tenths, given that the margins were extremely tight, I used it and didn’t make it through.”

Sergio Perez has Red Bull Racing’s sister team cars and several others to surpass in the race. Currently, he is second in the championship but closely trailed by Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris. Given the fact that Ferrari and McLaren have stepped up their game, it will be important for the 34-year-old driver to have consistent weekends.