Sergio Perez made a playful remark about his encounter with a bird at the Shanghai International Circuit. During the qualifying for the sprint race, Perez’s RB20 was struck by a bird, prompting him to request a pitstop to assess the situation. In a humorous twist, Perez referred to the bird as the race engineer’s sibling.
The incident provided amusement for Perez but likely not for his race engineer, Hugh Bird. Bird was focused on examining Perez’s car to ensure there was no damage. It seems that the engineer was not amused by Perez’s comments and was tired of jokes about his last name.
Video footage shows Perez being hit by a bird on the long back straight of the Shanghai International Circuit. After the team conducted checks in the pitlane, Perez resumed his qualifying for the sprint race. He will start from P6 tomorrow, just behind another driver.
During the exchange between Perez and Bird, Perez exclaimed that he had been hit by a bird, to which Bird replied with a humorous request to box and check for a bird. Perez then playfully referred to the bird as Bird’s brother.
Despite speculation about Perez’s potential replacement, the Red Bull team principal expressed satisfaction with both drivers. Horner commended Perez for his hard work during the winter break and his strong performance. However, Horner hinted that decisions about the driver lineup for next season will not be made until later in this season.
Carlos Sainz, who will be leaving Ferrari at the end of the current campaign, has reportedly received an offer from Red Bull. However, nothing has been confirmed yet. It remains to be seen whether Red Bull will choose to replace Sergio Perez.