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Despite a decent result with a second-place finish at the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, Sergio Perez admitted that Red Bull were nowhere close to catching up to the Ferrari ahead. While Perez managed to come second, he had a nearly 20-second gap to Charles Leclerc, indicating just how dominant Ferrari were all of last weekend.
In a post-race interaction, Sergio Perez commented on Ferrar's sheer dominance at Albert Park, saying:
“Yes, certainly. I think Ferrari was super strong today. We couldn’t match them at any point. I think it’s the first weekend that they are a step ahead. I think we’ve been really close in qualifying, in race. Even yesterday, I think we were a bit close in qualifying and race, even yesterday, it felt like we were a bit closer than we’ve shown.”
The Mexican also mentioned that the balance in his car was particularly poor throughout the race, highly contributing to his struggles in catching up to the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. He said:
“But yeah, today, they were on another level. I think we also were a bit too poor with our balance. We took a bit of the wrong directions with the car. So, I think there is good analysis to be done. We run the two cars a bit different. So, I think there is a good analysis to do. I’m sure we will learn a lot from this weekend because… yeah, we seem to be a bit harder on the tyres than Ferrari.”
Red Bull are currently third in the constructors' standings behind Ferrari and Mercedes and have a lot of work to do. With DNFs in two out of the first three races of the season for reigning world champion Max Verstappen, the team needs to focus on the car's reliability to grab any remaining chances of securing a world championship title once again in 2022.
"Huge difference in the championship" - Sergio Perez on the points lost in the last 3 races
Red Bull seem to be the only team on the grid with a car close to being capable of challenging Ferrari this season in terms of pace. Their reliability issues, however, are costing the team significant championship points, which are likely to make a massive difference in the end result, as pointed out by Sergio Perez.
The Mexican said:
“It’s certainly a concern. We’ve lost a lot of points already in these first three races that in the end can make a huge difference in the championship. So we are obviously aware of it.”
Perez now hopes to start fresh at the Imola GP, saying:
“We will see and I’m sure we will turn things around and hopefully we can start again from zero when we go back to Europe.”
Red Bull are desperate for a turnaround in their performance and are counting on the next Grand Prix weekend to get back into the championship battle.
