Christian Horner has shared his perspective on Sergio Perez’s challenging performance during the Sprint race in Qatar, expressing the need for further discussions to understand why Perez struggled, including being overtaken by Williams driver Franco Colapinto. Both drivers started from the pit lane after making changes to their cars under parc fermé conditions, but Colapinto managed to outpace Perez right at the start.
Horner, speaking to Sky Sports F1 post-Sprint, admitted, “I don’t know, to be honest. I need to have a chat with him about it. It looked like he just misjudged it, but when the light goes out, you’re supposed to go.” Perez’s sluggish start and subsequent struggles set the tone for a difficult session. After making little progress through the field, he later pitted for a new front wing as the team shifted focus to collecting data rather than aiming for points. “There was no chance we were going to score any points, so we may as well use that session to get something out of it,” Horner explained. This included testing a new wing, which provided valuable insights for later qualifying sessions.
Perez, reflecting on the pit lane start and general Sprint, revealed a strategy to maximize clean air. “The main objective of today was to be as further back as possible to have as much clean air as possible,” he said. Despite the disappointing P20 finish, Perez emphasized the importance of understanding the car’s performance after the setup changes, noting that improving balance would be key moving forward.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen, Perez’s teammate and reigning world champion, also faced challenges in the Sprint. Verstappen struggled with his RB20 during the opening laps, losing positions before managing a modest recovery to finish P8 and earn a single point. He described significant handling issues, saying, “[There was a] massive balance disconnect for me from entry into mid-corner,” which limited his ability to maintain pace and manage tyre wear. Acknowledging the difficulties, Verstappen remarked, “I think it will be very difficult to also solve it for the rest of the weekend, but we’ll try to do our best.”
The Sprint revealed critical areas for improvement for Red Bull as they prepared for the main race and qualifying in Qatar.
