In the aftermath of an intense qualifying session at the Albert Park Circuit, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez found himself in a promising position, securing third on the grid for the 2024 Australian Grand Prix. However, his achievement was somewhat overshadowed by a grid penalty following an incident involving Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg during the early stages of the first qualifying segment.
The Mexican driver impeded the German’s fast lap attempt, subsequently drawing the attention of the race stewards. Following a thorough review, Perez was deemed at fault for the situation, resulting in a three-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race. It leaves him starting P6.
Reflecting on his qualifying performance, Perez remained optimistic about his prospects for the race ahead. In the post-qualifying interview, he remarked, “We were chasing it through it all. I think overall it’s a good starting point.
“I think tomorrow it’s a much bigger picture because the degradation is going to be extremely high. I’m happy to be on the clean side,” Perez stated before finding out his penalty, maintaining his focus on the bigger picture, emphasising the importance of race strategy and tyre management.
When asked about the team’s prospects of securing a third successive one-two finish of the season, Perez expressed confidence, saying, “Yeah, that will be the aim for tomorrow, so hopefully, we are able to get it. That will be a very nice result for the team.”
However, things will be much tricker for the Mexican as he drops behind Norris, Leclerc and Piastri on the grid following that Q1 misdemeanour.
