Sergio Perez only managed to finish the Australian GP in P5, and Christian Horner confirmed the lack of pace was due to a tear-off stuck under the Mexican’s car.
Just after three laps, Perez was the only Red Bull driver remaining as his teammate Max Verstappen retired due to a braking issue. However, the Mexican was unable to attack the two McLarens and Ferraris as he was struggling with pace in every stint.
The Red Bull team principal confirmed after the race that Perez’s RB20 was losing a lot of load – and thus performance – due to a tear-off that got stuck under his floor as soon as he overtook Fernando Alonso.
“We went long on the first stint. And his actual pace when he was coming through the field on the hard tire as he closed in on Fernando was strong, and matching that of the leaders.
“And then literally as he’s passed Fernando, he’s picked up a tear-off underneath the floor, and it’s got lodged in an area that’s caused significant load loss.
“So as he’s then passed Fernando, the car’s not working as it should. And so then you start to see degradation on the tire, and again at the end of the second stint, which has been unusual for our cars.”
Horner also admitted that, maybe, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were “a bit too quick” to catch even without the issue.
“I mean, for sure he’s been compromised when he’s picked up the issue with the floor. I think they were maybe just a bit, maybe a bit too quick today, but you never know.”