formula 1
Pérez crash and rain slow down first practice session in Hungary
An accident by Sergio Pérez and heavy rain cost the drivers valuable training time. photo
© Balint Szentgallay/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
The first Formula 1 training session in Hungary is drowned in the rain. Max Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Pérez got off to a completely bad start.
An embarrassing accident of the World Cup second Sergio Pérez and heavy rain cost the Formula 1 drivers valuable training time in Hungary.
Red Bull driver Pérez lost control of his car shortly after the start of the first practice session in Budapest and crashed into the track barrier. The training was interrupted for several minutes.
Immediately after the start it began to rain heavily. Briton George Russell turned the fastest lap on the soaking wet track in a Mercedes. Second was Australian Oscar Piastri in a McLaren ahead of Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll from Canada.
Pérez in form after a strong start to the season
The circumstances make it difficult for the teams to prepare for the eleventh round of the season on Sunday (3 p.m. / Sky and free of charge at skysport.de). The training time is reduced this year anyway. In addition, a dry race with high temperatures is expected for Sunday, so that the data from the wet practice session is of little value.
The start of the weekend was bitter, especially for Pérez. The 33-year-old Mexican is in a slump after a strong start to the season and is already 99 points behind his team-mate Max Verstappen, who is clearly leading the World Championship after six wins in a row.
After the mishap in Budapest, speculation should be fueled that Pérez could be replaced by Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull in the medium term. The 34-year-old Australian is making his comeback in Formula 1 at the Hungaroring after a six-month break. Ricciardo has taken over the cockpit of the hapless Dutchman Nyck De Vries at the Red Bull sister team Alpha Tauri.