07/07/2024
NEWS STORY
Insisting that he can still turn things around, Sergio Perez admits to the fact that he "f****d up" in qualifying.
At a time his seat was already under threat and his team bosses becoming increasingly frustrated, Sergio Perez managed to do the unthinkable and make things even worse for himself.
Just moments into the opening phase of Q1 the yellows were waved, and as the cameras sought out the cause, as opposed to seeing Logan Sargeant beached in the gravel trap it was the under fire, 2023 runner-up, Perez.
The session was subsequently red-flagged as his car was extricated from the gravel, many seeing this as a metaphor for his future with the world championship winning team.
Whilst fully taking the blame, the Mexican insists that it is not too late to turn things around.
Asked if the mistake came at the worst possible time, what with Auto Motor und Sport claiming that Daniel Ricciardo is to replace him, Perez insisted: "No, no, no... I'm fully focused on my job.
"I'm fully focused on getting the performance out of myself, the form that I know where I can be," he added. "I've been in this business for long enough so I exactly know what to do and how to turn things around. I will not give up. I will turn this one around.
"I have a contract with the team and I will turn things around," he continued. "It's not something that distracts me or anything like that. It's done and dusted. I just want to get back to my form, and focus on the important things."
Ironically, shortly after the restart, teammate Max Verstappen went off at exactly the same corner, however the Dutchman was able to continue, albeit with significant damage to the underside of his car.
"It was very frustrating," said Perez. "Turn 9 was really tricky, very difficult, especially in the beginning. As I was trying to warm up the tyres, when I downshifted I basically lost the rear end quite badly and I went out of the track.
"I had cold tyres and it's full of standing water outside of the track, so I just ended up going into the gravel. I couldn't stop the car, I couldn't go straight.
"A few people went off," he added, "it clearly was a tricky corner. But anyway, I put my hand up, because I f****d up today."
Check out our Sunday gallery from Silverstone here.