In the Melbourne race, Sergio Perez embarked from sixth place on the grid due to a penalty for impeding, and though he initially lost ground to George Russell at the start, he managed to claw his way back to a commendable fifth-place finish.
Perez experienced handling issues throughout the race, expressing concerns about the balance of his car. However, it wasn’t until after the race concluded that the team uncovered the source of the problem – a tear-off that had become stuck in the car’s floor.
Christian Horner, the Team Principal of Red Bull, shed light on the situation, explaining, “We opted for a longer first stint, and Sergio’s pace was solid as he made his way through the field on the hard tires, even matching that of the frontrunners. However, upon overtaking Fernando Alonso, he inadvertently collected the tear-off, causing a significant loss of downforce. This compromised the car’s performance, leading to noticeable tire degradation, which is unusual for our cars.”
Detailing the impact of the downforce loss, Horner remarked, “We estimate it to be in excess of 20 points, which is considerable. It underscores the sensitivity of these aerodynamic elements.”
When questioned about Perez’s prospects of challenging the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc without the grid penalty, Horner remained cautious, acknowledging the superiority of the Italian team. “It’s hard to say,” he remarked. “Undoubtedly, Sergio’s performance was affected by the floor issue. However, the Ferraris seemed to have a slight edge today, although it’s always difficult to predict.”
Perez himself attributed Red Bull’s struggles at Albert Park to track-related factors, drawing parallels to previous challenges faced at other circuits. “I believe it’s related to the tarmac,” he noted.
“We encountered similar difficulties in Vegas last year. We need to delve deeper into understanding these issues and work diligently to overcome them. Today, as a team, we simply lacked the pace. Max’s overtaking within just two laps underscores this point.”
