The sprint in Qatar was yet another forgettable session for Sergio Pérez. The Mexican started from the pit lane and was immediately overtaken by Franco Colapinto. When it became clear that the Red Bull driver would not be able to score any more points, Red Bull used the valuable track time to gather as much data as possible. “It was a day when he wouldn’t score any points,” sighed Christian Horner.
The Mexican had to start the shortened race from the pit lane, but was overtaken even before he could get on the track. Pérez did not drive off immediately when the light turned green, which led Franco Colapinto to overtake the Red Bull driver. Hugh Bird, the Mexican’s race engineer, even had to tell the driver via the radio that he “needed to go now, please.”
“I really need to talk to him about that,” Red Bull team boss Christian Horner reacted to the incident, speaking to F1TV. “It seemed like he had fallen asleep. And of course, Colapinto overtook him then.”
Data Collection
The rest of the sprint also did not go as planned for Pérez, and the Red Bull driver even finished twentieth. When it became clear that the Mexican could no longer score points, Red Bull used the rest of the shortened race to gather as much data as possible.
“We were able to get some important data from Checo during the race,” Horner explained. “We were even able to fit a new nose, and received good feedback as a result. We hope to use this for this afternoon (the qualification for the main race). It was a day when we wouldn’t score any points with (Pérez), so it was better to gather as much information as possible.
