In Australia Red Bull suffered its first defeat after months of absolute domination. Verstappen's retirement and the problems with Sergio Perez's car allowed Ferrari to capitalize as much as possible, obtaining a double which brings them -4 points behind Red Bull. Many have wondered whether the problems experienced by Red Bull were decisive for the Red Bull's victory, but according to Perez this will not be the only opportunity that Ferrari will have to reach the top step of the podium. In fact, the Mexican sees a more open fight than last season. The next two Asian stages will be used to make further assessments of the forces in the field. So let's look at Sergio Perez's statements on the eve of the race weekend in Japan, in Suzuka.
In Australia a problemsee you after the other
Verstappen's retirement due to a brake problem in Melbourne was not the only variable going haywire at Red Bull. In fact, there were also several problems in the box of issue #11. Problems that added to the penalty that Perez had earned after qualifying. One of the main problems was linked to the fact that I struggled with tire management. There RB20 it has in fact suffered from excessive graining. Perez had to recover several positions from qualifying and this ended up destroying his race, also missing out on the podium.
"Probably the way we managed the tyres in Australia it wasn't the best - commented - we suffered damage at the bottom during the race, and obviously it was what affected us the most. Added to this was the penalty which made us drop 3 positions, and this increased tire wear because I found myself forced to try to recover".
No absolute dominance in 2024
In the first three races, Ferrari was able to seize every opportunity. They reached the podium in all three events and overall it is the team that managed to start best from the basic project. The SF-24 is not yet in its evolved version, like the RB20 and the scenario could soon change with the arrival of the first important updates. However, according to Perez, this start to the season is not "anomalous" but a sign that in 2024 we will experience tighter competition. In short, in the wake of 2022. In Suzuka, Red Bull arrives as the big favorite but Ferrari, according to Perez, is still very close.
“Probably in the first races Ferrari didn't maximize their package - he added - However, already from Jeddah we could see that he had a very strong car and I think it will be closer. McLaren is also starting to work to get the best out of the car. I believe that it will be a rather interesting year, there will be races in which they will be more competitive than us and vice versa".
Statement source: FormulaPassion
