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Sergio Perez acknowledged that following Nico Hulkenberg throughout the 2024 Singapore GP on Sunday, September 22 made it a challenging race. Speaking to media, including Sportskeeda, the Red Bull Racing driver highlighted how difficult overtaking was on the Marina Bay street circuit.
Starting 13th on the grid, Perez experienced a vastly different race than his teammate Max Verstappen, who finished second. The Mexican driver managed a single point with a 10th-place finish, spending much of the race behind his former Force India teammate, Hulkenberg.
Perez also struggled to overtake Williams rookie Franco Colapinto, who was running in 11th. The Mexican had to undercut Colapinto in the pits to gain track position. He praised the young driver’s flawless performance, which made overtaking extremely difficult.
Reflecting on the race, Sergio Perez noted that while he had a strong start, the strategy didn’t pay off as planned. Being undercut by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz added to his woes, ultimately making it a tough race. Asked by Sportskeeda about his struggles to get past Hulkenberg’s Haas, Perez said:
“Yeah, it was a total disaster to be behind Nico for the entire race and that was quite a painful afternoon.”
“I think we had a pretty good lap one, but unfortunately we didn't capitalise on it. Unfortunately Carlos did the undercut on us and looking at it, I think even how difficult it was to overtake today, we really needed to be a little bit further ahead," Sergio Perez added.
Asked why he struggled to overtake Colapinto, Perez said:
“Yeah he did a fantastic race, I think he didn't put a foot on and they were just very difficult to keep up with him at the time and it was just a difficult race. In the end we managed to do the undercut on him but that was the only one we could do.”
Sergio Perez is optimistic that the upcoming upgrades for the RB20 will boost performance for the remaining races, starting with the Austin GP.
Sergio Perez hopes to be quicker in Austin where Red Bull will bring more upgrades
Reflecting on the Singapore GP, Sergio Perez noted that while the car’s balance felt strong, his starting position in 13th hampered his ability to fight for a better result.
Looking ahead to the more conventional circuits, such as Austin and Mexico, the Mexican driver is confident these tracks will allow him to unlock a greater pace than the recent street races. He also acknowledged that his teammate Max Verstappen addressed the car’s performance issues over the weekend and capitalized on that progress during the race.
Asked if the balance of his car was good in Singapore, Perez replied:
“I think we balanced it out a little bit better. Yeah, I think it's a shame really that we were just so far out of position. I think in hindsight we know what things we did wrong and we got to come back and hopefully in Austin, I think it's where we can show our true pace because the catch should be a lot better in a more standard circuit.”
Asked about Verstappen’s performance compared to his own in Singapore, Perez said:
“Yeah, I think he had a tremendous weekend. He really got on top of it. I mean, thinking on Friday he was 15th, half a second away from me and he managed to pull it back which is good. But we got some work to do. In places like this I really hope that when we go to a more standard circuit we can show a bit more pace and hopefully we can bring some good upgrades for Austin.”
Sergio Perez salvaged just one point from the Singapore GP, bringing his total to 174 points and placing him eighth in the drivers’ championship. In stark contrast, his teammate Max Verstappen continues to dominate the title race, leading with 331 points and maintaining a 52-point advantage over Lando Norris.
Red Bull Racing is currently second with 475 points in the constructors’ championship. However, fluctuating performances between Perez and Verstappen have allowed McLaren to widen their lead to 41 points, a significant increase from its eight-point gap after the Azerbaijan GP. Ferrari remains close behind, trailing Red Bull by just 34 points in third place.
