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 “did not alert Perez of Hulkenberg’s whereabouts until just one second before to Hulkenberg’s arrival,
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.
Hulkenberg lamented that “the final run was not a clean lap” when
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.
Without a doubt
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.
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