Red Bull Struggles Continue: Checo Pérez Retires from Hungarian GP Qualifying
Checo Pérez, the Mexican Formula 1 driver for Red Bull, arrived at the Hungarian GP knowing it was a crucial weekend. However, his bad streak continued to compound, with a disappointing end to qualifying, as he retired in Q1 after losing control of his car and crashing into the wall.
Pérez was struggling with wet conditions throughout the qualifying session. "It was all wet and I couldn’t brake at all and I hit the wall quite hard," he said, reflecting on the incident. This latest mishap marks the 11th qualifying session in which Pérez has been unable to advance beyond Q1, after announcing his contract renewal with Red Bull in June.
Red Bull faces a challenging moment, with a reduced points gap between them and the reigning champions, Mercedes. The constructors’ championship is becoming increasingly competitive, putting pressure on the team to deliver strong results.
Pérez confirmed that he will work with the team to improve his starting position for tomorrow’s race, saying, "There is nothing else to do but look forward and look to tomorrow. I have already spoken with the team about starting from the grid tomorrow."
However, his teammate, Max Verstappen, has come to his defense, blaming bad luck rather than poor performance. Verstappen has also faced challenges over the past few weekends, with issues surrounding his car’s setup. "Some were a bit unlucky. In qualifying, for example, at Silverstone, that start costs you the classification," he said. Despite the difficulties, Verstappen praised Pérez’s work ethic, "Some of the things that have been pointing fingers at Checo have been due to bad luck rather than lack of hard work."
This weekend’s events have marked a challenging period for Red Bull, with both drivers struggling with their cars’ performance. The team will have to regroup and adapt if they are to close the gap between themselves and the leaders. With the Hungarian GP still to be contested, Red Bull will have to find a way to overcome their troubles and return to their winning ways.
