Red Bull had an amazing weekend at Imola with Max Verstappen witnessing the checkered flag. Whereas their other motorist, Sergio Perez finished at P11. The Mexican also spoke about his mistakes at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
The Mexican veteran was phenomenal in the season opener at Bahrain. Further, he continued his outstanding performance at the Autodrome Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit, he also clinched the second-best performance in Q3.
Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Red Bull Racing RB16B Honda on his way to the grid prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on April 18, 2021, in Imola, Italy. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
However, the tricky Italian circuit got even worse because of the rain; no prior experience of controlling the RB16B on a wet circuit led to the disastrous fall to P11.
In a post-race interview, Checo reported about his performance at Imola, “Not knowing how much I could have done with the car led me to make a mistake. Everything was more complex in the race. I will learn from this day, I will continue to work for a long time with the team. Yesterday we could have been two on the podium.”
Red Bull’s Expectations from Sergio Perez
The 31-year-old is one of the top drivers in F1 and is known for his impressive control over a one-seater. During the 2021 Bahrain GP, the Mexican had a pit lane start because of technical issues with his car during the formation lap. However, Checo made his way through to finish at P5 on his merits.
Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Red Bull Racing RB16B Honda prepares to start the race from the pit lane during the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit on March 28, 2021, in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
Even in the past, Perez has proved his worth as an excellent racer. When he won his first race at Shakir in 2020, where also he began the race from behind other cars. However, Perez couldn’t pull the same stunt with the RB16B during Emilia Romagna GP, where he dropped to P11 and couldn’t make a comeback because he is still learning about his new car.
The Mexican pilot over-steered and beached his car in the gravel trap and rejoined the race at P11. Even prior to this incident, Checo received a penalty for overtaking two cars when Safety Car was on track because of Nicholas Latifi’s accident.
Sergio Perez of Red Bull Racing went off the circuit during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday, April 18, 2021.
Checo joined Red Bull after his seven-year-long stint with Racing Point F1. He is performing well with his new Austrian team. However, the Mexican is still a fresh leaf in the Milton-Keynes stables. Thus, he might take few more races to adapt to the new team.
Sergio Perez is working with his team for the upcoming race at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve on Sunday, May 2. We might witness the Mexican redeeming at Portugal race for his mistakes in Imola, further claiming a podium finish.
