Perez Admits Over-Exploring Red Bull F1 Car Amid Spanish GP Struggles, Faces Uphill Battle in Race

Sergio Perez faced unexpected difficulties during the qualifying round at the Spanish Grand Prix, indicating he might have pushed the limits of his Red Bull F1 vehicle too far as his challenges persist.

Sergio Perez has acknowledged that he pushed his Red Bull F1 vehicle "a bit too far," leading to an unsatisfactory qualifying performance at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Red Bull faced challenges at the beginning of the Barcelona race weekend, yet Max Verstappen came close to securing the top starting position, barely missing out to McLaren's Lando Norris. Meanwhile, Perez managed to qualify in eighth place for Red Bull, lagging behind his teammate by six tenths of a second.

P8 will shift to 11th position for Sunday's grand prix after Perez receives a three-place grid penalty for operating his vehicle in a hazardous state following an accident in the previous race in Canada.

"Perez noted that his performance in the final sector during Q3 was somewhat lacking. He acknowledged losing more ground than anticipated, suggesting that with better execution, the gap could have been significantly narrower."

We were limited to just one set, which complicated matters somewhat. The wind shifted slightly. However, on the whole, I believe we were somewhat too distant this weekend.

We've been intermittently striving for equilibrium. However, I sense we've made significant progress, giving me a greater sense of ease. The differences are minimal. To truly discover those elements, my journey required advancement, which was lacking throughout the weekend.

"We're going to focus on making improvements, and with any luck, we'll have a competitive race car ready for tomorrow. There's a significant amount of effort required in this area too. Thus, we've made some concessions in qualifying, aiming for better tire wear in the long run."

Perez, achieving a spot in Q3 for the first time after four races, following back-to-back eliminations in Q1 during the Monaco and Canada races, stated, “We really delved into understanding the car. It seems we faced more challenges than we initially expected in Barcelona.

"Clearly, the relationship between variables can fluctuate, being positive at times and negative at others. I believe that problems with the tyres have also played a significant role. Therefore, it's been challenging to find a consistent strategy throughout the weekend, but I feel we're starting to make progress now.

"We're optimistic that tomorrow we can demonstrate strong performance in the race and swiftly move past any setbacks."

In response to a question about modifications to his vehicle following Friday's practice session, Perez stated, "Indeed, we've delved deeply into tweaking the car. Perhaps, a tad excessively."

Perez acknowledged that he needs to put in some effort to bridge the considerable distance to his teammate Verstappen.

"He mentioned that this year has been tougher compared to the previous one," he remarked. "Last year's challenges were mainly due to the weather. It was wet, and I was eliminated in the second qualifying round.

"In this instance, it seemed to be an issue of finding the right balance that presented a challenge for me. The distance to Max was slightly too significant throughout the weekend. Consequently, we have some improvements to make in that area."

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