Sergio Perez has once again failed to secure a front-row start after a disappointing qualifying session in Spielberg. The Red Bull Racing driver was almost nine-tenths of a second behind his teammate’s time, who claimed pole position. Perez, who has been underperforming this season, scored only 112 points in ten races. He blamed a used set of soft tires for his inability to set a better time in qualifying. As a result, Perez will start in eighth place on the grid for the race on Sunday. This marks his continued struggle to secure a front-row start since the Chinese Grand Prix earlier this season.
Perez expressed that a driver’s ability to perform well in qualifying depends on their adaptability to the track in a short amount of time, which is an area where he struggles. Despite this, he remains determined to make up positions in the challenging race at the Red Bull Ring. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen dominated the qualifying session in Austria, securing pole position for the eighth time this season. Verstappen attributed his success to using an older set of tires during the initial stages of qualifying, which provided him with an advantage. The team’s decision to run Q1 on used tires allowed him to push freely during the critical stages of Q3. This marks Verstappen’s return to the top spot on the grid since the Imola Grand Prix. He aims to capitalize on this opportunity and secure a victory in the race on Sunday.