Perez makes Red Bull plea after latest qualifying shocker

Sergio Perez has plead to Red Bull to work “some magic” with his strategy for the Singapore Grand Prix, following his latest qualifying shocker. 

The Red Bull driver suffered a Q2 exit at the Marina Bay Circuit, and will provisionally start the 18th round of the F1 season in P13. 

Perez had been stronger than Max Verstappen – who qualified second – on Friday but found himself well off the pace in third practice, before his struggles continued in qualifying.

Red Bull’s number two driver put his failure to reach Q3 down to brake issues but also a significant lack of grip.  

“For me in Q2, I had issues with the brakes and with the tyres,” Perez told select media including RacingNews365. 

“I think the brakes were running too hot, and I was looking for a lot of bite from them, and just the tyres were absolutely nowhere in Q2. 

“The two laps I did, I had just no grip at all. And, yeah, it was super, super tricky.”

Despite the circuit consisting of four DRS zones, overtaking is a real challenge in the Singapore GP. 

As a result, progress during the race is set to be difficult for Perez, who recognises that his best bet will be for Red Bull to conjure up a smart strategy.

“It’s going to be a very difficult race, hopefully we can do some magic with the strategy and come through,” added Perez. “That will be the key for us.”