Sergio Perez felt that F1 rival Ferrari was “just not reachable” for Red Bull based on the opening day of running at the Monaco Grand Prix and Charles Leclerc’s leading pace.
The local hero topped Friday’s second practice with almost a 0.2s margin over Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilto, while championship leader Max Verstappen was fourth in the pecking order, 0.535s adrift from Leclerc, while Perez was P8.
Perez had previously suggested that the Principality’s unique characteristics might pose a challenge for Red Bull's car. Unfortunately, this concern materialized throughout Friday practice.
Both Red Bull drivers complained of their bumpy ride, the lack of compliance of their car’s suspension inducing severe instability on a hot lap as the RB20 struggled to cope with the track’s bumps and bounces.
Meanwhile, Ferrari’s SF-24 appeared unchallenged by the uneven and jerky track, leaving Perez thoroughly impressed and concerned.
"Ferrari at the moment are just not reachable," Perez said. "I think they're really strong and whenever they need the lap, they just seem to put it on really easy, really quick.
"It's something that is quite a benefit around this place, to be able to put the lap in quick and whenever you need it to, and don't struggle so much with tyres and that sort of thing.
"They're looking very strong at the moment."
©RedBull
The Mexican driver felt that Red Bull has its work cut out to change its current trajectory in the Principality.
“It’s going to be tough,” he said. “I think our limitations are really hard to get away from them at the moment, and the ride.
“So we’ll see what we are able to come up with tonight. We run two cars slightly different. I don’t know what the issues for Max were.
“So plenty of things. The long-run pace seems to be in a better condition, but obviously it’s just too late. We just have to wait and see.
“I think we’ve got a few items that we need to be able to improve. And then hopefully it can put us back in the fight, and just be closer to the top. I think it’s looking tough at the moment.”
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