Sergio Perez apologises to Red Bull after suffering "low day" with new sprint

British Grand Prix

Perez apologises to Red Bull after suffering "low day" with new sprint

Perez spun early in the 17-lap race at Silverstone

Ian Parkes

Saturday 17 July 2021 19:45

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Sergio Perez has apologised to Red Bull after suffering what he has described as "a low day" with F1's new sprint concept following which he will start last for the British Grand Prix.

From fifth on the grid after Friday evening's qualifying session at Silverstone, Perez was initially caught by a fast-starting, soft-tyre shod Fernando Alonso in his Alpine.

After settling into sixth position, Perez then spun through Copse on lap six, dropping him to 19th before he was told to retire his RB16B with a lap remaining due to vibrations, which he has stated was done for strategic reasons.

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It means Perez will now start the main event from last on the grid behind Haas duo Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin.

Perez said: "Coming out of the corner with a lot of throttle, I got caught out with the dirty air and I became a passenger basically, really early in the corner. A poor day from my side.

"A big shame, I am very sorry for the team, it has been a very low day from my side, a poor day.

"In the end, we picked up vibrations from the lock-up so we just looked to try to finish the race in a safe way. We thought there wasn't much to gain so we preferred to retire the car."

As to how he now picks himself up, Perez added: "It is hard after days like today but tomorrow is a new day and a new opportunity to figure out what we are able to do better."

Perez laments "waste of time" concept

The 17-lap sprint was the culmination of two days of action ahead of the main event that started with qualifying on Friday evening, albeit with a second practice session sandwiched in between that has been described as "a waste of time" by Perez.

With the cars locked under parc fermé conditions after qualifying, FP2 turned into nothing more than a test on whether to start the sprint on the soft or medium tyre.

Perez added: "The format is very different. We have to wait and see. This has been done for the fans, so whether or not it has more repercussions for them.

"But from my side, the format is too different with the practice. It's a bit of a waste of time. It doesn't make much sense, with practice two, the way it is.

"That's something drivers and teams see as a bit useless. It's not like you can prepare anything from that point - you cannot prepare for the sprint, and you cannot prepare much for the race.

"Everyone is safely managed, so I think that's something that personally can be improved."

As for possible improvements, Perez said: "Whether we do a real FP2 and instead of waiting so long during the day we maybe do FP1, FP2, then qualifying, then straight into the sprint, or something.

"The format is so different. As a driver, you are hanging around for a while."