For the fifth consecutive Grand Prix weekend, Max Verstappen took pole position. This was also the fifth consecutive Grand Prix weekend that Sergio Pérez crashed out before top ten qualification. Not only did the Mexican driver fail to make it to Q3, he even made it to Q2. Pérez had to start the race in Great Britain from P16.

The Red Bull Racing driver was in the danger zone in Q1 when the session resumed with three minutes remaining. The Silverstone circuit is dry and ideally you are at the very back to have the best chance of getting a good lap time. However, Pérez was the man leading the field and he lacked the pace to finish over sixteen.

Damage control

“Yeah, I think the red flags last longer than we anticipated,” said Pérez, among others GP fans. “It doesn’t help with trying to keep the tire temperature. It’s without losing it, you know, especially because we had a great Friday. Our race pace looked really good. So yeah, we’ll be behind another race where we’ll try to limit damage.”

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Changeable conditions

“I think I had the most difficult time with the car in these conditions,” continued the Mexican driver. Raindrops fell here and there during Q1, making track conditions unpredictable. “My problem only becomes clearer in changing conditions. So it’s something we need to work on as a team to understand what we can do to improve. It’s that simple.”