Sergio Perez experienced undisclosed damage during the Australian Grand Prix, which he was unaware of throughout the race.
The Red Bull team faced unfamiliar challenges during the Australian Grand Prix. The three-time world champion encountered an overheating issue with his right-rear brake, forcing him to retire. This put the spotlight on Perez to achieve a favorable result for the team based in Milton-Keynes.
Perez displayed impressive speed until he overtook the Aston Martin driver in the middle of the race. However, his performance and the RB20’s pace suddenly deteriorated, preventing him from making further progress. This was unexpected considering the RB20’s usual dominance. After the race, it was revealed that the reason for Perez’s sudden decline in pace was due to damage sustained while overtaking the Spaniard.
Team principal Christian Horner also noted that Perez was unaware of this damage, which caused him to lose grip and downforce in certain parts of the track. The increased tire degradation at Albert Park further added to Perez’s challenges, forcing him to focus on managing his race rather than pushing to catch up with the McLarens.
The Australian GP witnessed significant tire degradation throughout the weekend, and this issue affected several drivers during the race. Perez, as a Red Bull driver, also faced this problem.
Following the conclusion of the Grand Prix, Perez discussed how the tire wear negatively impacted his race. He also mentioned that the chosen setup by him and the Red Bull team may have exacerbated the issue throughout the race in Melbourne.
Perez’s tire wear problems only added to the difficulties faced by the Red Bull team during the weekend. With both Red Bull cars absent from the podium, it remains to be seen how the team will respond to this disappointing performance in Japan in a few weeks.