JUST NOW: Perez consistently thought that P8 at Imola GP was “the best we could get….

Although Sergio Perez’s run to P8 in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday was unimpressive and uninspired, the Red Bull driver said he never anticipated a much better finish.

Perez had a difficult first day of competition in Imola, which included an accident during free practice. Red Bull as a whole, meanwhile, was eliminated from consideration on Friday when Max Verstappen appeared to be having performance issues at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari.

Perez faced a difficult assignment as the Dutchman, who had secured his 39th career pole in Formula One qualifying, failed to even qualify for the top ten shootout. This was due to a low starting position on Sunday, starting from P11.

Anticipating a lengthy first stint, he was also the only driver on the grid, along with Logan Sargeant of Williams, to begin his race on the hard compound tire.

Perez, who finished in eighth place, his lowest finish of the year, remarked, “I think we kind of knew that was the best we could get.”

“We were hoping for a safety car at the proper time that may have allowed us to get back into the fight, even though we were aware that the going would be really tough at first.

“The first stint was quite challenging. I believe that a great deal of the initial and final traffic—people passing through—was compromised.”

See also: F1i’s Driver Evaluations for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in 2024.

The Mexican also did himself no favors by engaging in an off-track excursion at Rivazza on lap 17.

Additionally, I experienced a lockup prior to [Turn] 16. I went straight and lost a good deal of time as a result,” he remarked. “I also sustained some injuries. It was an extremely difficult race.

Regarding the four drivers who had previously pitted and passed him later in his run, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz, and George Russell, Perez acknowledged that he put up little of a fight.

“I wanted to lose as little time as possible [when being overtaken],” he said. “Unfortunately, at the same time, you are at the end of your stint, temperatures are dropping, and the grip is just very miserable at that point.”

Perez addressed Red Bull’s comparative inferiority at Imola during the early part of the weekend and attributed the RB20’s relative underperformance to the features of the course.

“I think it’s a bit of circuit-specific,” he stated. “I believe we need to continue working and keeping our heads down. Nevertheless, I’m glad Max led the squad to victory.

“We simply need to keep working hard because McLaren and Ferrari have made progress. The season lasts a long time. [We must] continuously seizing possibilities.”