Perez says British GP qualifying bust not the result of pressure
Sergio Perez is a man under pressure but the Red Bull driver denies that his disastrous British GP qualifying was the result of mounting stress.
Perez will be starting Sunday's race at Silverstone a lowly 19th after a spin at Copse corner left his car stranded in the gravel trap after just a handful of laps in Q1.
The Mexican driver’s latest setback comes amidst a string of disappointing results and speculation about his future with Red Bull.
“T9 was tricky, really difficult,” Perez explained.
“When I downshifted, I basically lost the rear end quite badly and I went out of the track, and cold tyres and it was completely soaked of water outside of the track.
“So I just ended up going in the gravel, couldn't stop the car, couldn't go straight, very unfortunate incident.”
The 34-year-old’s qualifying disaster will have done little to help his cause amid his current performance slump and rumors that Red Bull is considering a mid-season change that could see Perez lose his seat with the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
Although Perez was recently granted a two-year extension to his contract with the championship winning team, performances clauses do not guarantee his tenure.
However, Perez denied that external pressures were to blame for his mistake in Q1 on Saturday.
“No, no no no, that has nothing to do with it,” Perez insisted. “I'm fully focused on my job, I'm fully focused on getting the performance out of myself, I know where I can be.
“Yesterday we had a very positive day, things were looking in the right direction, so yeah, head down and it's a matter of time before we turn around the situation.”
Perez denied having any conversations with Red Bull’s top brass, Helmut Marko or team boss Christian Horner, about his current struggles.
“No, nothing about it, fully focused on my job, which is to deliver tomorrow,” he said. “I don't have to think about anything else.
“The most concerned about it is myself, so I want to get back to my form as early as possible, and yeah, just fully focus on my form.
“I'm fully committed to the team, I'm fully committed to my career,” he added of his current contract predicament,
“I have a contract with the team and I will turn things around.
“It's not something that distracts me or anything like that, it's something that is done and dusted and I want to get back to my form and focus on important things.”
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