Perez came 'very close' to retiring from Miami GP

©RedBull

Red Bull has revealed that it came close to returning Sergio Perez from last weekend's Miami Grand Prix due to an engine sensor issue that impacted the performance of the Mexican's car.

Perez spent his entire race in fourth position, trailing Carlos Sainz, but unable to challenge the Ferrari driver. However, at one point, Perez reported a sudden loss of power which his team initially though was due to the Red Bull charger losing the tow behind Sainz.

But the problem was eventually traced to a faulty cylinder sensor that shutdown several systems. Perez was able to hold his P4 position until the checkered flag although he claimed after the race that his car "was never the same".

"It was very close," said Horner, referring to a potential DNF.

"He had an issue with a sensor on one of the cylinders. We had to move the sensors around to address the issue.

"So that's something we will work closely with HRC [Honda's engine department] on to try and understand and obviously make sure it doesn't happen in the future."

©RedBull

Horner says the issue led to a power deficit that especially impacted the top speed of Perez's RB18.

"He was down probably 20 kilowatts in power as a result," added the Red Bull chief.

"Even with the advantage of the new tyre he had, he was probably half a second off what the car was capable of in straight line speed. And I think without that he would have probably even been P2."

Read also: Verstappen says Red Bull reliability still 'too much of a hit and miss

Red Bull suffered a costly double DNF at the opening race of the season in Bahrain, while an engine failure also befell Max Verstappen in Australia.

After last Sunday's race, the Dutchman urged his team to get on top of its reliability troubles but Horner denied that there was an underlying problem impacting its 2022 car.

"I don't think the car is particularly fragile," said Horner.

"I think there's just been niggly things that you would have normally seen in pre-season testing that have only reared their head as we've got into the season.

"That's been frustrating but, you know, we're working closely with HRC [Honda] and they're giving us great support, so I think we will get those ironed out."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.