In order to secure a third consecutive 1-2 at the beginning of the 2024 Formula 1 season, Red Bull will need to
overcome a minor inconvenience as Sergio Perez was demoted from third to sixth on the Australian Grand Prix grid
for obstructing Nico Hulkenberg.
The Haas driver Hulkenberg “was forced to lift the throttle early and brake early” during a qualifying lap after
coming into contact with Perez’s Red Bull moving slower on the apex of the corner while on an out-lap, according to
the stewards’ ruling regarding the incident, which occurred in Q1 at the tight Turn 13 right-hander in the final part of
the lap.
Red Bull was “focused on the car in front of Perez that had just slowed,” the finding stated, and as a result, “did not
give Perez a warning that Hulkenberg was behind him until one second before Hulkenberg arrived, and significantly
too late to avoid impeding Hulkenberg.”
As a result, Perez moves up one spot to sixth on the grid, passing Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and Charles Leclerc.
After qualifying, Hulkenberg voiced his displeasure with the event.
He described Perez as “perhaps having a Mexican siesta.”
“He wasn’t glancing in the mirror; the speed at which he was closing on Turn 12 these days is really fast.” It happens
really rapidly and readily if you’re not paying close enough attention. Naturally, though, that shouldn’t occur.
However, he didn’t think Perez was the reason he was only ranked sixteenth on the grid because Haas had already
had its first Q1 departure of 2024 due to the impediment on a previous run.
When questioned about his previous Q1 effort by The Race, Hulkenberg replied, “Unfortunately, the final run was
not a clean lap.”
I was feeling good about myself, but then something happened in Turn 9—I went in a little too fast, overloaded the
front tire, and for the remainder of the lap had a lot of understeer and lost all the laptime I had gained up until then.
The wind then changed out of Turn 7, and I lost more than a tenth on the straight compared to myself.
“Not the most spotless Quali days.”
Perez has yet to finish on the front row this season, so even though he has finished second to Verstappen in both of
the 2024 Formula One races, he has always had to come from further back to get there.
In Bahrain, he only began sixth, and in Saudi Arabia, he started third.
Before the penalty was imposed, Perez stated of his Australia qualifying effort, “Definitely there was a bit more in it.”
“I didn’t have a good opening sector, especially around Turn 1. I didn’t hook up the entire combo on my last try,
which is obviously a tenth, a tenth-and-a-half.
However, I’m content. It has been a very pleasant journey, especially considering how we were during the weekend. I
believe there will be significant degradation, so we will be fighting the Ferrari and the rest of the field tomorrow.
Thus, in my opinion, starting position is not very important right now.
