Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko has stated that Sergio Perez’s recent struggles in Formula 1 are not attributable to the car but to “psychological” factors. This accolade came after Perez was eliminated in the first half of qualifying for the second race in a row, finishing only 16th in the Canadian Grand Prix. Perez’s performance has been inconsistent in recent races, marking a negative turn compared to the start of the season when the Mexican started all of the first six races inside the top six. However, since the Miami Grand Prix, he has failed to qualify in the top ten. His Q1 exit in Monaco, followed by another poor performance in Canada, raised concerns within the team. Max Verstappen, his Red Bull teammate, managed to qualify second in Canada, narrowly missing out on pole position to Mercedes’ George Russell. This contrast in performance between the two drivers from the same team reinforced Marco’s thesis that Perez’s problems are more mental than technical. “It’s not the car; you can see that with Max. I think it’s more psychological,” Marko told ServusTV. “It was tight, and when the conditions change, he has a lot more difficulty. But the fact that it’s already the third time [from Q3] is painful.” Perez was close to advancing in Q2 but was overtaken by Williams’ Alex Albon in the final minute of Q1. The Mexican admitted he was unable to get his tyres to work properly, describing his qualifying as a “total disaster.” “Mainly, the problem was with the rear axle,” Perez told F1TV. “It looked a little worse.” He added, “I think it was a very strange feeling for a lot of cars out there. For us, I just couldn’t activate the tire. It took a long time to activate the tyre. It was a total disaster. I think when we went to the end, I just couldn’t get the lap right.” Marco’s words show that the team recognises Perez’s technical ability but understands that he needs to overcome his mental barriers to regain his competitive form. Verstappen’s performance, in contrast, shows that the Red Bull car has the potential to be at the front regardless of the conditions. Pressure is mounting on Perez to resolve his psychological issues and return to contribute meaningfully to Red Bull’s efforts this season. With the championship underway, it is essential that he finds a way to regain his confidence and consistency. The team continues to monitor the situation closely, with the hope that Perez will find his rhythm again and compete for the top positions again. Ultimately, Perez’s situation serves as a reminder of the importance of the mental aspect of high-performance sports. As Red Bull works to support its drivers, the focus will be on how Perez deals with these difficulties and recovers for the upcoming races.
Hamilton Baffled by Qualifying Pace Loss
Lewis Hamilton was left baffled by a sudden drop in performance during qualifying for the F1 Canadian Grand Prix, while his Mercedes teammate George Russell took pole position. Seven-times world champion Hamilton topped the final free practice session with a stunning lap, and the Mercedes pair appeared to be favourites to take pole and possibly secure a rare full front row in Montreal. Russell managed to secure pole ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, but Hamilton could only manage seventh place after his pace dropped drastically in Q3. It was the first time in Hamilton’s career that he did not qualify for the top five in Canada. Hamilton was surprised by the drop in performance, explaining that the grip he felt in the W15 earlier “disappeared” during qualifying. “The car was great all weekend, and once we got into qualifying, it kind of disappeared for me,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. “The grip just disappears for me. In P3, I had a lot of pace in me, and then I got to qualifying and the tyres didn’t work. Nothing has changed in the car.” Hamilton and Russell benefited from new upgrades to Mercedes’ W15 this weekend, with both drivers praising the team’s progress. “Congratulations to George for a great job. It’s really great for the team,” added Hamilton. “Obviously, everyone has worked really hard to bring updates back to the factory, so this will be a big boost for everyone at the factory.” Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was also unable to explain why Hamilton’s session fell apart. “It looked like Lewis really had the advantage, and both cars were comfortably beating everyone,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1. “And then, in the end, it got so tight, also for George, and Lewis’ time didn’t show up. We couldn’t understand at the moment why it wasn’t a little more in our favour.” The situation was made worse by the fact that both Hamilton and Russell praised the updates brought to the car, highlighting that the Mercedes team had taken a significant step forward. This makes Hamilton’s drop in performance all the more inexplicable given that he led practice and appeared to have enough pace to challenge for pole position. Hamilton and the Mercedes team now need to analyse the data to understand what caused the sudden loss of grip and ensure they can recover and return to their expected performance in the upcoming races. With a season of ups and downs, consistency will be crucial if Hamilton is to continue fighting for the world title. Hamilton’s unexpected drop in performance in Montreal serves as a reminder of how unpredictable Formula 1 can be and how even the best drivers and teams can face unexpected challenges in their quest for excellence.
Ricciardo Hits Back at Villeneuve: “Talking S**t”
Daniel Ricciardo responded to harsh criticism from Jacques Villeneuve, F1 world champion in 1997, during the Canadian Grand Prix. Villeneuve questioned Ricciardo’s tenure in Formula 1, analysing the Australian’s difficult start to the 2024 season. Speaking as a guest commentator on Sky Sports F1 coverage, Villeneuve expressed his doubts about Ricciardo continuing in the category: “Why is he still in F1? We’ve been hearing the same thing for five years. We have to ‘improve the car for him’, poor thing, no, you are in F1. Villeneuve even commented that Ricciardo’s image kept him in F1 more than his actual results: “If you can’t make it, go home. There will be someone to take your place.” After taking an impressive fifth on the grid for Red Bull, Ricciardo responded to Villeneuve’s comments: “I still don’t know what he said. But I heard he’s talking nonsense. But he always does,” Ricciardo told the press in Canada. Then Ricciardo did not spare any criticism: “I think he hit his head a lot; I don’t know if he plays ice hockey or something. But yes. Anyway. I won’t pay attention to him, but… everyone, these people may be cursed—I mean more—but it’s ok.At the age of 34, Ricciardo faced a difficult start to the season, being overtaken by teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who secured his place for another season. “I was very motivated to do more than I did this year,” said Ricciardo.”Obviously, Miami was an exception. I know how satisfying these good results are, and that’s why I’m here—to feel these highs. I think going into the week, I don’t know, everything felt good. I was very happy to come back to this circuit and compete here because today is 10 years since the day of my victory, and that day changed my life, and I felt like I was ready to do something good.”. Ricciardo remains determined to overcome the challenges of this season and demonstrate his worth on the track, making it clear that, despite the criticism, he still has a lot to offer in Formula 1.
What Went Wrong for Ferrari? Shock Double Q2 Exit Explained
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were left baffled by Ferrari’s disappointing performance in qualifying for the F1 Canadian Grand Prix.After victory in Monaco, Ferrari arrived in Montreal confident of its chances of competing for another win at a circuit that should, in theory, suit the 2024 car, however, the team was unable to place either cars in the top-10, with Leclerc and Sainz crashing out in Q2, finishing 11th and 12th respectively. “We will look into everything,” Leclerc told Sky F1. “Obviously, I’m not happy to be leaving in Q2 and we’ll look into that. I think the biggest problem was that we were too slow. Whenever the conditions were dry, we did not perform well and we need to understand why. Since FP3, we were far from ideal.”Asked if the car felt different, Leclerc replied: “It looks bad. Just bad. No grip at all and the tires were never ready. That’s the biggest problem.”Both Ferrari drivers used their only set of new soft tires at the start of Q2, anticipating the rain that never came. When the rain didn’t show up, Leclerc and Sainz had to run on used tires in the best track conditions.Carlos Sainz echoed his teammate’s comments and thought Ferrari would have been better off saving the new tires for the end of Q2. “I think if we had done everything perfectly, using the new tires at the end of Q2 and not at the beginning, and with a cleaner last corner, maybe Q3 would have been possible today,” said the Spaniard.”But the reality is that it was very tight at every moment today and that means that as soon as you don’t get everything perfect, you are eliminated in Q2, which is not where Ferrari want to be. When you don’t do these things perfectly and you don’t have a fast car, you end up being caught off guard.” Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said: “The pace was good yesterday in both wet and dry conditions. But we have had more difficulties since the morning to warm up the tires in Turn 1, where we are losing more than 50% of the time. It’s narrow. At the end of the day, Perez is 16th and by a tenth or two you could be out. Carlos was three tenths faster than Charles in the last corner [before] he made a mistake. It is, but we have to be content with the fact that the race is so close. Of course, when you’re 11 and 12, you’re not happy.” Ferrari now faces the difficult task of analyzing and resolving the issues that led to this disappointing performance as it prepares for the upcoming races and looks to return to the front of the field in the 2024 season.
What Went Wrong for Ferrari? Shock Double Q2 Exit Explained
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were left baffled by Ferrari’s disappointing performance in qualifying for the F1 Canadian Grand Prix.After victory in Monaco, Ferrari arrived in Montreal confident of its chances of competing for another win at a circuit that should, in theory, suit the 2024 car, however, the team was unable to place either cars in the top-10, with Leclerc and Sainz crashing out in Q2, finishing 11th and 12th respectively. “We will look into everything,” Leclerc told Sky F1. “Obviously, I’m not happy to be leaving in Q2 and we’ll look into that. I think the biggest problem was that we were too slow. Whenever the conditions were dry, we did not perform well and we need to understand why. Since FP3, we were far from ideal.”Asked if the car felt different, Leclerc replied: “It looks bad. Just bad. No grip at all and the tires were never ready. That’s the biggest problem.”Both Ferrari drivers used their only set of new soft tires at the start of Q2, anticipating the rain that never came. When the rain didn’t show up, Leclerc and Sainz had to run on used tires in the best track conditions.Carlos Sainz echoed his teammate’s comments and thought Ferrari would have been better off saving the new tires for the end of Q2. “I think if we had done everything perfectly, using the new tires at the end of Q2 and not at the beginning, and with a cleaner last corner, maybe Q3 would have been possible today,” said the Spaniard.”But the reality is that it was very tight at every moment today and that means that as soon as you don’t get everything perfect, you are eliminated in Q2, which is not where Ferrari want to be. When you don’t do these things perfectly and you don’t have a fast car, you end up being caught off guard.” Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said: “The pace was good yesterday in both wet and dry conditions. But we have had more difficulties since the morning to warm up the tires in Turn 1, where we are losing more than 50% of the time. It’s narrow. At the end of the day, Perez is 16th and by a tenth or two you could be out. Carlos was three tenths faster than Charles in the last corner [before] he made a mistake. It is, but we have to be content with the fact that the race is so close. Of course, when you’re 11 and 12, you’re not happy.” Ferrari now faces the difficult task of analyzing and resolving the issues that led to this disappointing performance as it prepares for the upcoming races and looks to return to the front of the field in the 2024 season.
Predicting the Next Four Big MotoGP Moves for 2025
With the recent transfers of Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez, the MotoGP world is buzzing with speculation about what the next big moves will be for the 2025 season. Here are four rider changes that could change the grid: Enea Bastianini for Tech3 KTM Enea Bastianini, despite a promising start with Ducati and potential opportunities with Pramac, looks set for a surprise move to KTM’s GASGAS Tech3 team. Reports from Sky Italia suggest that Bastianini will get a full factory bike, just like Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder. Although KTM has faced inconsistency this season, Acosta’s podiums demonstrate the RC16’s potential, offering hope for Bastianini’s prospects. Jack Miller for Honda Jack Miller, currently facing a difficult season at KTM, may find a new challenge at Repsol Honda. With Joan Mir considering retirement, a vacancy at Honda could open up for Miller. Despite his current struggles, a move to Honda could rejuvenate Miller’s career and give him the chance to help revive the Japanese manufacturer’s competitiveness. Joe Roberts for Aprilia American rider Joe Roberts, fresh from victory in the Moto2 race at Mugello, is a strong candidate for a seat at Aprilia, potentially replacing Miguel Oliveira. Roberts’ consistent performance, which places him second in the Moto2 standings, makes him an attractive choice to bring American representation back to the premier class. His speed and reliability could make him a valuable asset to Aprilia. The return of Andrea Iannone with Ducati Andrea Iannone, a former MotoGP rider, has been linked with a possible return to the sport. Iannone himself hinted at interest from MotoGP teams. With the possible vacancies at Pramac and Gresini, Iannone could make a sensational comeback, likely with Gresini Ducati. The move would not only provide the team with an experienced Italian driver, but also fill the void left by Marquez. These potential changes highlight the dynamic nature of MotoGP, where rider transfers can significantly change the fortunes of teams and championship results. The 2025 season promises to be one of intrigue and excitement as these changes unfold. Reflections for the future These moves not only represent changes in strategy on the part of the teams, but also reflect the evolution and adaptation of riders to the competitive demands of MotoGP. With new challenges and opportunities emerging, the 2025 season will be an exciting spectacle, with each driver looking to consolidate their position and make their mark on the championship. MotoGP fans can look forward to a season full of surprises and high performances as these riders prepare to write the next chapter of their careers. The transfers of Bastianini, Miller, Roberts and Iannone promise to shake up the grid and bring new dynamics to the race, while maintaining the lively and unpredictable spirit of MotoGP.
