Sergio Perez’s struggles continued as he failed to secure a spot in the top ten shootout during qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix, marking the fourth successive time he has faced this setback.
The session witnessed a dramatic turn of events, with several drivers having their lap times deleted for exceeding track limits, particularly at the final corner, where many tend to run wide on the exit onto the start/finish straight.
Unfortunately, Perez found himself in violation of the rules and had his fastest lap time wiped off the timing board just seconds before the session concluded.
Expressing his frustration over the team radio, he exclaimed, “What a f***ing joke with the track limits.”
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As a result, Perez will start from 15th on the grid for the Grand Prix on Sunday, once again finding himself in the position of having to mount a recovery drive through the field.
Following Perez’s recent struggles, social media buzzed with speculation about his future in the sport.
Some Twitter users questioned whether he would retain his seat, with one remarking, “He won’t have a seat at the end of the season at this rate.”
Another user hinted at a potential driver swap, stating, “Checo getting hardswapped in a few races with Daniel, who will win his first race like Max did in 2016.”
The uncertainty surrounding Perez’s future added another layer of intrigue to his performance.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Red Bull garage, Max Verstappen continued his dominant form by securing his fourth consecutive pole position in Austria.
The Red Bull driver narrowly edged out the resurgent Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.
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In the final minutes of qualifying, both Verstappen and the Ferraris embarked on their final runs with fresh soft tires.
Verstappen managed to improve his time by a tenth of a second, lowering his own pole position time to 1’04.391.
Although Leclerc displayed impressive pace in the middle sector, he lost half a tenth to Verstappen in the final sector and crossed the finish line behind the Red Bull driver, resulting in yet another pole position for the reigning world champion.