Sergio Perez arrives at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, home of the Singapore Grand Prix, with the precise intention of putting last weekend and the accident that deprived him of a more than probable podium finish behind him.
The bitter taste in Checo’s mouth remains. The podium, also considering the excellent weekend he had finally managed to put together in Baku, would have been a very important result for him in view of 2025. An injection of points and confidence needed to look to the future with more serenity and with the awareness of still being able to be useful to Red Bull this season.
Instead, on the penultimate lap, while Sainz was busy battling with Leclerc for second place and Checo for the podium with the two Ferraris, his RB20 came into contact with the Madrilenian’s SF-24, both of which ended up crashing into the wall and handing Leclerc an unexpected second place, given the difficulties with the tyres he was having in the final laps.
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
The number 11 RB20 suffered some significant damage when it hit the wall, but Red Bull still managed to restore it for the Singapore Grand Prix with the latest specification floor and wings.
A considerable effort, which Sergio Perez himself wanted to underline by giving credit to the people who work in Milton Keynes every day, capable of giving him a potentially winning car again in just a few hours.
“The guys, as usual, have done an incredible job and I will be able to race with the latest spec of the car. So yes, I am surprised by the great job they have done. They are pushing hard and I did not expect to be able to race with the latest spec already this weekend.”
In the impact against the wall, the power unit could have also suffered significant damage – all its components, not just the internal combustion engine – and the gearbox. On several occasions, with impacts of that type, we have witnessed breakages that then created quite a few problems for the drivers.
In this case, however, after inspecting the power unit and gearbox, Red Bull understood that they could count on both for the Singapore weekend. Perez will be able to use them immediately and it was the Mexican himself who confirmed the news: “Yes, the power unit and gearbox are fine”.
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