Red Bull F1 News: Sergio Perez makes 'game over' admission after Chinese GP disappointment

sergio perez, christian horner, red bull racing, chinese grand prix, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

Perez makes 'game over' admission after Chinese GP disappointment

The Mexican was left frustrated in China

Stuart Telford

Monday 22 April 2024 22:57

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Sergio Perez has vented his frustration after failing to complete a Red Bull one-two at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Perez is out of contract with Red Bull at the end of the season, and there has been plenty of speculation that he might lose his seat to another free agent such as Carlos Sainz - whom Lewis Hamilton will replace at Ferrari.

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But the Mexican has been doing his chances of getting kept on no harm at all this season, and is currently second in the drivers' standing on 85 points, 25 behind three-time world champion and RBR teammate Max Verstappen.

The Red Bull pair had already made a green flag pitstop when Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and McLaren's Lando Norris converted to a one-stop under a mid-race safety car, which was sent to recover Valterri Bottas' Sauber challenger.

Perez is favourite to remain Verstappen's teammate

Safety car scuppers chances

Verstappen was able to keep his lead, but Perez came out behind Leclerc and Norris, and using hard tires to pass the former meant he ran out of tire life before closing on the latter.

"At that point, the gap was already quite big and given how good his pace was on a first stint in terms of degradation I knew it was going to be close," Perez said after the race.

"We basically had the same pace. Once you go by the car ahead and you stop fighting for I don't know how many laps we ended up fighting between Charles and myself, then it's really game over.

"You use so much of your tyre. You put so much energy into them that they never really come back. It's quite a high-degradation place and I paid the price."

Team principal Christian Horner agreed that the timing up the safety car scuppered Red Bull's chances of another one-two, and has previously said the seat is Perez's to lose.