In a session dominated by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez veered off course at the exit of the legendary Parabolica turn, causing a second red flag to be unfurled.
Perez was lucky to only make slight contact with the exterior barriers, gently brushing the wall with the rear wing of his car.
Detailing the mishap, Perez stated, “I was dealing with understeer on the exit and went full throttle, thinking I had it handled. Just when I thought I was in the clear, I skimmed the gravel and, well, that was all she wrote.”
“Visually, the car doesn’t appear too banged up. The damage is relatively minor, so we didn’t really lose out on much. We only missed a couple of laps, so it doesn’t skew the bigger picture,” he added.
Despite the hiccup, Perez expressed enthusiasm over an otherwise robust session, labeling it as his “most remarkable Friday in recent memory,” after establishing a reliable setup baseline with the RB19.
Feeling optimistic, he continued, “The car is humming along nicely, and I’m getting a good vibe from it.” After clocking the third-fastest time, just 0.185 seconds behind leader Sainz, Perez felt confident about the team’s prospects for the rest of the weekend. “All signs point to us having a particularly fruitful Friday.”
As for his teammate Max Verstappen, the double world champion felt there was still some “micro-adjusting” required after trailing by 0.276 seconds. Verstappen acknowledged that his fastest lap was somewhat compromised, noting, “We’re still experimenting with wing configurations, and Monza can be tricky in that aspect.”
“In hindsight, I could’ve squeezed out a bit more performance. There’s a balancing act between low and high speeds that we need to nail, but I’m fairly certain we’re on the right track,” Verstappen added.
However, Verstappen didn’t dismiss the day’s events as catastrophic, stating, “I had some interruptions during FP2, which prevented a complete analysis. Also, our long-run data is somewhat lacking due to limited laps. But overall, it’s not doomsday just yet.”
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Concluding his thoughts, Verstappen expressed cautious optimism. “We still have room for improvement, but the sky isn’t falling or anything like that.”
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Sergio Perez Monza Friday
What happened to Sergio Perez during the Monza FP2 Session?
Sergio Perez went off track at the exit of the Parabolica turn, causing a second red flag to be displayed. However, he only made slight contact with the exterior barriers and felt that the session was overall very strong for him.
Who topped the FP2 session at Monza?
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz led the FP2 session, with Perez finishing as the third-fastest just 0.185 seconds behind Sainz.
Was the car damaged in Perez’s incident?
According to Perez, the car suffered only minor damage. He brushed the exterior wall with the rear wing of his car but felt it was not significant enough to impact the rest of the weekend’s racing.
How did Max Verstappen perform in the same session?
Max Verstappen, Perez’s teammate, finished 0.276 seconds behind the session leader, Carlos Sainz. He indicated that there was still some fine-tuning to be done but remained optimistic about the team’s prospects.
What was Verstappen’s take on the wing configurations?
Verstappen mentioned that the team had been experimenting with different wing levels and still needed to analyze the best way to go. He acknowledged that Monza can be a tricky track for such adjustments.
Was the session considered a success for Red Bull Racing?
While Perez termed the session as his “most remarkable Friday in recent memory,” Verstappen also felt that it wasn’t “the end of the world” despite room for improvement. Both drivers seemed cautiously optimistic about the weekend.
What other noteworthy events took place during the FP2 session?
Apart from Perez’s incident and Sainz’s lead, Max Verstappen mentioned being interrupted during his quickest laps and not getting a full read on certain aspects due to limited laps. Despite these challenges, both Red Bull drivers expressed confidence in their performance.
