“Super tricky”: Sergio Perez admits inexplicable tire behaviour at Singapore GP

Sergio Perez found the tire behavior during Singapore GP qualifying unpredictable and difficult to understand. Speaking to media, including Sportskeeda, after the session, the Red Bull driver expressed frustration over poor grip and brake temperature issues that hampered his performance.

Knocked out in Q2, Perez could only manage 13th on the grid, a stark contrast to his teammate Max Verstappen, who starts on the front row. Reflecting on the session, he attributed much of the struggle to the tricky tire conditions. He admitted to making a mistake at Turn 13 on his final lap but emphasized that a lack of grip and brake temperature problems played a significant role.

Perez noted that he, along with other drivers, was puzzled by the tire behavior in the humid conditions, comparing it to the challenging qualifying session in Miami. He highlighted how the peakiness of the tires, combined with grip fluctuations and track evolution, made for a tough outing.

Asked by Sportskeeda if he struggled with tire performance and behavior like many others complained about, Sergio Perez said:

“Yeah, to me, Q2, I had issues with the brakes and with the tires. I think the brakes were running too hot and I was lacking quite a lot of bite from them and just the tires were absolutely nowhere in that Q2. The two laps I did, I had just no grip at all and yeah, it was super, super tricky.”

Further explaining his poor showing in the qualifying session, he added:

“I don’t know Q1 was looking really nice and smooth. I actually had a mistake on my lap into Turn 13, where I lost around two to three tenths. But I just went slower in Q2. I started sliding a lot more, I couldn't get the tire up to temperature. It was just very, very tricky afternoon.”

Probed why it was so tricky for everyone during qualifying, Sergio Perez said:

“I think it's just the tires being so peaky around here, the grip, the ride, the track changing lap by lap is just a very tricky place.”

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Sergio Perez feels changes on the car made before qualifying disrupted competitive momentum

Sergio Perez believes that changes made to his car between Friday’s free practice and qualifying disrupted his competitive rhythm for the weekend. On Friday, the Mexican driver had shown more pace than his teammate in both sessions. However, he feels that the adjustments put him in a challenging position for qualifying. The 34-year-old expressed pessimism about his chances of finishing competitively and anticipates a difficult race ahead.

Asked by Sportskeeda if the track conditions were different from Friday to Saturday which changed his form, Sergio Perez said:

“Yeah, we changed quite a bit the car, I think we probably went in the wrong direction. It’s not so clear at the moment but we certainly went on a nicer window yesterday and we just lost a lot of competitive rhythm.

Asked what was possible from the position he starts at in the race, he replied:

“I think it's gonna be a very difficult race. hopefully we can do some magic with the strategy and come through, that will be the key for us.”

After the Azerbaijan GP, it appeared that Sergio Perez was regaining his competitiveness on street circuits. However, his retirement in Baku due to a collision with Carlos Sainz overshadowed his promising form, where he was on track for a podium finish. With qualifying being crucial at Marina Bay, he will need a strong strategy to navigate through the pack. A poor result for Perez could allow McLaren to extend its lead over Red Bull in the constructors’ championship. Currently, the Papaya orange squad sits 20 points ahead of the Milton Keynes team, while Max Verstappen is 59 points clear of Lando Norris in the drivers’ standings.