Sergio Perez’s recent struggles in Formula 1, particularly his early exit during qualifying at the Canadian Grand Prix, are due to psychological reasons and not the car, according to Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko.
Perez recently signed a new two-year deal with Red Bull but found himself out in Q1 for the second consecutive race, after a similar fate in Monaco. He qualified 16th in Canada, edged out by Alex Albon. This performance dip seems reminiscent of last year, beginning around the Miami Grand Prix.
Marko believes the issues are self-inflicted and highlighted that Perez faces difficulties on tracks with changing conditions. ‘It’s not the car, you can see that with Max. I think it’s more psychological,’ Marko said on ServusTV. ‘It was close, and when the conditions change, he finds it much more difficult. But the fact that it’s already the third time (not in Q3) is painful.’
Perez almost made it to Q2 but fell into the drop zone at the last moment thanks to Albon’s lap. Addressing his qualifying issues, Perez cited a lack of comfort with the rear end of his RB20, especially in variable conditions. He mentioned the difficulty in getting the tyres up to temperature as a significant challenge.
He expressed his frustrations, saying, ‘It was a massive frustration. It was a session where everything reset with the weather. We just couldn’t get everything to work, especially the rear axle. I think it was a very strange session for a lot of cars out there. We did struggle quite a lot with the rear end, so I think we got to understand what the reason behind it was. I think the track being so green it really reset things up, but I was struggling to put the temperature into the tyre, and I think that was the main struggle.’
Despite the setbacks, Perez remains optimistic about his ability to secure points in the race. ‘We’ve got some bits to understand tomorrow, and if we are able to secure a couple of points, that will be a good result and then really just go from there,’ he said.
Marko’s observations suggest that Perez’s struggles are more about his mindset and confidence rather than any mechanical issues with his car. As Perez aims to overcome these challenges, all eyes will be on him to see how he performs in the upcoming races.
Source: Motorsport
