Sergio Perez and Christian Horner react to woeful qualifying calamity at F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
Red Bull’s call to not complete a second run at the enඣd of Q2, and a decision to bring only t💖hree sets of tyres into qualifying, cost Perez who must start from 11th.
The strategy from the constr🐼uctors’ champions - who have Max Verstappen starting from second in𝄹 the race - was criticised.
Tꦕhe under-pressure Perez explai𒁃ned to Sky: “That was basically our strategy from the beginning.
“It’s obviously a new track and 💎it caught us out, unfortunately.&nඣbsp;
“🐼It’s something we will discuss internally to understand what happened.
“We were unlucky in Q1, managed to get through. Plenty of things to analyse from๊ that.⛦”
Perez said about the temperature b🦩eing crucial in the grand prix: “It will be an interesting race, there are a lot of things that can happen. We will see.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said about Perez’s bad day in qualifying: “He we🌃nt a little early.
“We only t൲ook three sets of tyres into qualifying. To t🀅ry and avoid getting caught in traffic on the last lap.
“He did the lap a little early, and was a tenth💧 short.”
Jenson Button reacted to that strategy: “The worry is a yellow flag, right 🅠at the end.
“But🍒 I don’t know why they didn🅘’t have more tyres.
“That was the issue, havin🐎g just ♎three sets in qualifying. That’s why they struggled.”
Danica Patrick said about Perez: “He tends to go out early in qual🍌ifying. And it’s not his strong suit.
“So I feel like a different approach would have been good.&nbs𝕴p;
“And at a track like this, it just𒀰 keeps getting faster. It was a mistake.”
Ferrari’s brilliant performance in practice and ꧑qualifying in Las Vegas means they are perfectly set up to rip away another victory from Red Bull.
The♐y are already the only other team to have won a grand prix this year.
“What we🍒 saw yesterday, Ferrari were very qu✱ick over a lap,” Horner said.
“The characteristics of their car, they work the tyre hardౠer, so we expected that to be honest. Well done to Charles, it makes for an interesting race tomorrow.”
Horner was 🥃asked if Verstappen can expect, as he usually does, to warm into the race before eventually dominating: “I think it will be di⛎fferent here.
“But it’s a track you can def൩initely overtake on. I꧑t’s going to make it interesting.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade ꦐcovering everything fr🅺om American sports, to football, to F1.
