Formula 1 Australian GP
Perez says brake problem made him "a passenger" in Q1 incident
Sergio Perez says he was "a passenger" in his Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix Q1 exit, as an unresolved FP3 braking issue caused his Red Bull's gravelly Turn 3 off.
James Newbold Adam Cooper
Edited: Apr 1, 2023, 12:10 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Perez had a disrupted FP3 as he joined the session 20 minutes late, and he ended up over half a second down on team-mate Max Verstappen after two push laps were wrecked by locking up under braking.
Speaking after qualifying, Perez explained that "we thought we fixed that" prior to qualifying, only for his RB19 to skate into the gravel on his first push lap in Q1 at Turn 3 after locking his right-front wheel.
The Mexican was unable to rejoin the circuit and without setting a time he will start last for tomorrow's grand prix while Verstappen claimed pole.
Perez said that the problem related to the brake balance moving "quite far forwards as soon as I was braking".
"We had a bit of a technical issue from FP3 and we thought we fixed that, but we obviously didn't," he said when asked to explain his troubles by Motorsport.com.
"It was very difficult to do anything out there, just braking. I became a passenger as soon as I touched the brake.
"It's something that is moving the brake balance quite far forwards on the braking.
"I just hope that we are able to fix it as a team tomorrow and be able to race and minimise the damage."
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
It marks the second time in as many races that Red Bull has failed to get both cars to Q3, after Verstappen's driveshaft problem left him 15th on the grid for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The double world champion recovered to finish second in Jeddah behind Perez, but despite the addition of a fourth DRS zone to the Albert Park circuit for 2023, Perez expects "it's going to be a difficult track to overtake" on and recover to a top position.
"If we are not able to put it all together, every single Saturday and Sunday, the competition is very strong," he added.
However, he stated that he had confidence in his team "that we will be able to overcome this problem and to have a strong race pace".
Read Also:
- Albon: Mastery of F1's tyre "dark art" key to Q3 surprise
- Russell “disappointed” to miss Australian GP pole with surprise Mercedes pace
- Masi: Return to F1 paddock "like seeing the long-lost family"
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Alonso hails "best qualifying" of F1 2023 despite being behind Mercedes
Next article Norris 'not driving at the level I want' with difficult McLaren F1 car
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
James Newbold
Did Audi ‘give up’ on GT3 too soon?
GT
Did Audi ‘give up’ on GT3 too soon?
Alex Zanardi’s top 10 moments
IndyCar
Alex Zanardi’s top 10 moments
More from
Sergio Perez
Cadillac’s F1 brakes are still a problem: ‘I had to lift and coast on lap two’
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Cadillac’s F1 brakes are still a problem: ‘I had to lift and coast on lap two’
“Am I confident? Probably not” – The unprecedented challenge Singapore is throwing at F1 drivers
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
“Am I confident? Probably not” – The unprecedented challenge Singapore is throwing at F1 drivers
Lewis Hamilton: Younger F1 drivers are “more and more cautious” about racing in rain
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Lewis Hamilton: Younger F1 drivers are “more and more cautious” about racing in rain
More from
Red Bull Racing
Laurent Mekies extends contract as Red Bull's F1 team boss
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
8 h
Laurent Mekies extends contract as Red Bull's F1 team boss
Christian Horner opens up on Red Bull F1 exit: “Perhaps it was perceived I had too much influence over the team”
Formula 1
Formula 1 11 h
Christian Horner opens up on Red Bull F1 exit: “Perhaps it was perceived I had too much influence over the team”
Latest news
Ricky Stenhouse explains his side of Michael McDowell conflict
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
2 h
Ricky Stenhouse explains his side of Michael McDowell conflict
Barnes: Why IndyCar’s updated licensing system fails its own integrity test
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 4 h
Barnes: Why IndyCar’s updated licensing system fails its own integrity test
Why NASCAR is not penalizing Stenhouse, McDowell for post-race theatrics
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
5 h
Why NASCAR is not penalizing Stenhouse, McDowell for post-race theatrics
Dale Jr. explains why he doesn't use 'Earnhardt' in his signature
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 6 h
Dale Jr. explains why he doesn't use 'Earnhardt' in his signature
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe