Sergio Perez endured a challenging race at the 2023 FIA Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix, marked by multiple time penalties and tire struggles that impacted his performance on the Lusail International Circuit.
Perez, classified in 10th place at the chequered flag, faced an uphill battle from the start, beginning the race from the pitlane due to a breach of parc ferme regulations. This breach resulted from Red Bull’s need to change components in his power unit following his Sprint race collision and subsequent retirement.
The Mexican driver started the Grand Prix on the hard tire compound, but he couldn’t fully capitalize on this choice in the initial stint. The mandatory stint lengths enforced by the FIA, combined with the tire characteristics, posed challenges. Perez explained, “The hard really complicated things for us, especially with the Safety Car. We couldn’t warm up the tire, and then we ended up losing positions.”
The safety car periods further compounded the tire temperature issue, preventing Perez from making quick progress as he would have hoped. Perez found himself stuck behind Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu during the first stint, a situation that typically wouldn’t be expected for a Red Bull driver. “Yeah, I just couldn’t get the temperature in the tire,” he remarked.
The race saw Perez accumulating three separate five-second time penalties for exceeding track limits, with one of them being added to his final race time. These penalties, served at two of his pit-stops, resulted from a total of six off-track moments, translating to a 15-second time loss over the 57-lap race.
Despite the numerous challenges, Sergio Perez persevered through a demanding Qatar Grand Prix, striving to overcome the complexities posed by tire struggles and track limit penalties.
