Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has conceded Sergio Perez's Austrian Grand Prix qualifying nightmare was "annoying". The Mexican failed to reach Q3 for the fourth race in succession having had all three flying laps deleted in Q2 having exceeded track limits at the entry of Turn 10. After each infringement, the team radioed Perez to warn him of his errors and urged more caution in order to set a banker lap. But the call was ultimately unheeded. The result leaves Perez starting from 15th on the grid for Sunday's Grand Prix, though he can earn some redemption in Saturday's standalone Sprint event. "He had the pace, he had a car that was easily capable of being on the first or second row, he was matching Max's times... stay in the white lines," Horner told Sky Sports F1. "Strike one, strike two... Checo, just stay in the white lines, strike three and that was it. "Hugely frustrating because he could have done it, he could have been there. It is fantastic to have got the pole but it feels incomplete. "It [the instruction to stay within the lines] was crystal clear. It is hugely frustrating because we know he can do it. "He did a 1:04.9 on that lap, 0.03s off Max. He could have been four-tenths slower and still been in. In Q2, that is not the time to be doing it." Perez had suggested he was blocked by Alex Albon's Williams on his final attempt which he believes forced him wide. "It is the same for everybody," insisted Horner. "There was a car ahead, of course it is not going to have helped, but then you build in a bit of margin. "Checo, frustrated, will turn the page and race hard but it is annoying because we know he could have been there."
Verstappen restraint
Polesitter Max Verstappen also lost his first lap of Q2 but despite a radio outburst against the stringent limits, the championship leader came back with added caution to find success. "At least he responded. He built a conservatism into his laps to make sure that he had a wheel inside the line. "There was a little bit more time in the car in that last sector if he had gone for it, so it was driving with a bit of restraint."
Most read
