Tires not warmed up were the cause of Perez’s accident
The Mexican states that he was having issues with his tires, which led to the accident during the last attempt in qualifying.
It was the incident that halted the qualifying session for the Monaco Grand Prix. With just a few seconds remaining and the drivers pushing to improve their times, Sergio Perez went off track at the Portier turn, just before the tunnel. The accident forced the race officials to bring out the red flag.
After the session, Max Verstappen’s teammate indicated that he was struggling with his tires on his second run, even though he was close to his reference time. « I think we had more pace than that, but we simply couldn’t compete. I believe the tire strategy was not right, especially with the last set, they were not at the right temperature and it was just too complicated. I had already almost lost the car in the first turn and looking back, I think we didn’t make the right choices today. »
The corner was difficult for me throughout the session. So, I tried to anticipate and hit the accelerator early, but as soon as I touched it, I felt that the rear tire wasn’t gripping and I played around with it a little, until I lost control of the car.
The Mexican also stated that he was surprised to be hit by Carlos Sainz after his accident, while also adding that he is sorry for him and for the other drivers.
However, Sergio Perez will start, unless there is an issue or a change of parts on his car, from the third position on the starting grid, behind the two Ferrari drivers but ahead of his teammate, who is in fourth place.
