Racing Point’s Sergio Perez has shared an onboard of him fixing the steering wheel which led to a collision with Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg in F1 British GP.
Both the Racing Point drivers made good progress in the beginning of the F1 British GP at Silverstone where they were close to the Top 10, while battling with the Renault drivers. The safety car period bunched the field together with Perez behind Hulkenberg.
However, it wasn’t as smooth for the Mexican as he had issues with his steering wheel under the safety car which caught him out and as the race re-started, he collided with Hulkenberg for which he apologised to the German after the grand prix.
Fortunately for Hulkenberg, he had no puncture and carried on after his rear left crushed the front wing of the Mexican. It put Perez on the backfoot as he was forced to do an extra stop, as the German continued on but faced a problem himself with the power unit.
He dropped from eighth to outside the points but fought back to be 10th. “We were very unlucky,” said Perez. “The first stint was very strong – I was managing my race, looking after the tyres and we were on course to score some points.
“Then, the safety car came out just after I had pitted and that’s what ruined my race. During the safety car period I also had an issue with my steering wheel, which affected the brake balance and meant it was too far forward.
“That’s why I ended up hitting Hulkenberg because I couldn’t stop the car enough; I damaged my front wing and dropped down to last. I cannot believe the tough luck we had. It’s so disappointing because we deserved a big result in our home race.
“We had the speed in the car to score points [as well].” He finished a lap down in 17th with Lance Stroll also out of points in 13th. For the Renault driver, the engine limp mode cost him along with the Perez hit and a strategy error but he managed to score a point.
“It was hard work out there today and we’re disappointed not to be higher than tenth,” he said. “The race just seemed to go away from us. Our strategy could have been smarter, I was hit at the Safety Car restart and lost a place there.
“And then near the end I had to go into an engine limp mode for a couple of seconds which again put me back. It was just one of those Sundays where all the setbacks added up and cost us. It’s positive to have both cars back in the points, but we’ll regroup and review.”
The video shared by Perez can be checked in the link here – just for your note, we cannot share any on-track video due to the restrictions put in by FOM. Here’s a screenshot of the Mexican fidgeting with his steering wheel:
Here’s how the F1 British GP panned out.
Sebastian Vettel on his error, Max Verstappen rues British GP podium
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