In the wake of his qualifying accident at the F1 Monaco Grand Prix, which weakened his confidence and ultimately damaged his performance, Sergio Perez recently opened up about his troubles. Despite having two victories in the first four races of the season, his chances of competing against Max Verstappen of Red Bull for the title of world champion were seriously compromised.
The turning point came at Monaco Grand Prix‘s Q1 when Perez went down costing him a weekend of no points, and foreshadowing the start of a challenging stretch. Over the next five weekends, he was unable to place in the top 10 during qualifying. He said, “I lost a bit of confidence with the car and that set me back. I have my psychology and that is something I work on.”
Sergio Perez admits he lost confidence after Monaco:
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) July 27, 2023
“I lost some confidence [after Monaco] because the way the crash happened, I lost a bit of confidence with the car and that set me back.”
“Other than that, it is how the sport is. You have good moments and bad moments but… pic.twitter.com/bcBK3y49CS
However, being part of the Red Bull team brings added pressure, as any setbacks prompt immediate speculation about his future in the sport. He highlighted the significance of the smallest details in Formula 1 races and how even little flaws may mean the difference between finishing on the podium and finishing beyond the points.
What happened to Perez post the Monaco GP?
Taking advantage of Perez’s challenging form, Max Verstappen excelled, winning seven consecutive races and establishing a commanding 110-point lead in the championship standings. Nevertheless, Perez recently raced in the Hungarian Grand Prix and was able to end his run of lackluster efforts by qualifying in Q3. He further proved his dedication with a spectacular comeback effort from tenth on the grid, eventually earning third place.
🚩 RED FLAG 🚩
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 27, 2023
Heartbreak for our 2022 Monaco Grand Prix winner, Sergio Perez 💔#MonacoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/9N5zVShvNy
The Mexican driver when asked if he had experienced similar ups and downs in his Formula 1 career before, confirmed that he had in fact encountered such situations in the past. He emphasized the care with which every part of the race is planned, a point that might not always be clear to spectators sitting in the comfort of their homes.
Following his qualifying crash in Monaco, Sergio Perez has had a difficult season, which negatively impacted his performance and led him to lose confidence. He is optimistic that he will enjoy what he does and focus on improving his performance despite the challenges and uncertainties of the sport.
After reviving his past way of performing, it is up to his understanding with the team and the car which will help him keep up with the competition.