Perez blames lack of grip for ‘total disaster’ Montreal qualifying

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Sergio Perez qualifying nightmares continued in Montreal on Saturday, where the Red Bull driver was left stranded in Q1 for the second race weekend in succession.

Perez failed to progress into Q2 in Monaco two weeks ago, and the trend unfortunately continued at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

The Mexican delivered the 12th fastest lap in the dying minutes of the opening segment which appeared to put him out of harm’s way.

But a flurry of improvements swiftly knocked him down the order to P15, where Williams Alex Albon delivered the final coup de grâce.

Perez admitted to being frustrated by his inability to get his tyres working effectively, a critical factor in extracting pace during the all-important session.

2024 Canadian Grand Prix - Qualifying results

“It was a total disaster,” Perez told the official F1 channel. “I just couldn’t get the grip in.

“I think it was a very strange sensation for a lot of cars out there. For us, I just couldn’t get the tyre switched on. It was taking a while to really switch on the tyre.

“It was a total disaster. I think when we went at the end, I just couldn’t get a proper lap in.”

©RedBull

Perez felt that his car’s handling had degraded between Saturday’s final practice and qualifying, which took place in slightly cooler conditions.

“Mainly the issue was the rear end, the rear axle,” he said. “It felt a little bit worse. I couldn’t lean on it at all.

“We need to look at it and understand the reason behind it, it was stepping away from me all the time.

“In hindsight we could have done a lot of different things but at the end of the day we lacked some pace, simple as that.

“There are some fundamental issues that we need to address, understand, and figure out, to make sure we are able to improve in the coming races.”

Perez, who was awarded a two-year contract extension by Red Bull this week, admitted to not being too pleased with himself. However, he vowed to give it his all on Sunday to try and secure a few good points, perhaps with the help of the weather.

“I am angry with myself,” he said. “We are a Team and it is not an ideal time for us but we have full focus on tomorrow and hopefully we are able to save something and score some points.

“The weather can hopefully help us, it can make things unpredictable, and we will see what we can do with the strategy as well."

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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.