Red Bull driver Sergio Perez has leapt to the defence of Ferrari after repeated mistakes in the 2022 Formula 1 season, saying "it is easy to point fingers." Despite having arguably the fastest car of the campaign, the Scuderia have not been able to extract the best from their trackside operations department, with multiple strategy blunders affecting them. At the Hungarian Grand Prix, they opted to fit then-race leader Charles Leclerc with the Hard tyre, despite this being avoided by a majority of the teams such was its uncompetitiveness. Leclerc fell from the lead to an eventual sixth-place finish after Ferrari then pitted him again for a set of Soft Pirellis. Despite his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen being the beneficiary of the Ferrari blunder, Perez defended Ferrari.
Perez: It's easy to point fingers
Ferrari have failed to implement team orders on occasions in 2022 to aid Leclerc's championship push, had drivers ignore them when they have (Sainz at Silverstone) and had multiple reliability concerns on top of their strategic faux pas. "I think always after the race, it is very easy to point fingers out and say: 'What a mistake you have done,' but in the heat of the moment, we are all prone to make those mistakes," Perez told media, including RacingNews365.com . "We live in such tiny margins that these things can happen." Although Ferrari seemingly have the faster car, the team have just four race wins compared to nine for Red Bull, with the Italian outfit trailing the Austrian one by 93 points in the Constructors' Championship at the summer break.
Perez hopes to bounce back from poor form
Perez could only manage fifth place at the Hungaroring following a Q2 elimination that left him 11th on the grid. Verstappen started 10th after his own problems but undercut his way into the lead and, bar from a quick 360, was not troubled for the victory. He sits 80 points clear of Leclerc, and a further five ahead of Perez, whose form seems to have dropped off in recent races. Perez started the season strongly, with a maiden F1 pole in Saudi Arabia, a win at the Monaco Grand Prix and five second place finishes. However, as Red Bull have developed the RB18, it has lurched more towards Verstappen's desire for a sharper, more responsive car compared to Perez's preferred style. "It's good but we're not taking anything for granted," Perez explained. "We are aware that the last couple of races have been difficult on our side, things have changed a bit on the car. "So we have to understand everything and just come back a lot stronger for the triple-header [of Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy.]"
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