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Why Perez's trip across the gravel turned out to be more troublesome
- Wouter Bos
Sergio Perez did not manage to make a mark in Imola. Despite moving up three places, the Mexican drove a quiet race. 'Checo' himself thought it was the best result that could come out of it.
"I think we sort of knew that was the best we could get. We obviously knew that the hard was going to be very difficult initially, but we were hoping for a safety car at the right point that potentially could put us back in the fight," Perez said after the race.
Perez, like Verstappen, struggled a lot with the hard tyre: "It was very difficult first stint. I think it was compromised a lot with the traffic initially, traffic at the end, and people coming through. I also had a lock up going into Turn 16. So I went straight and lost quite a bit of damage. I also picked up some damage. So, yes, just a very, very tough race."
Place dropped in the championship
Perez has lost the second spot in the drivers' championship to Charles Leclerc. The Mexican will surely be looking forward to next week, when racing takes place in Monaco. Perez is sometimes called the "King of street circuits" and has fond memories of the Monaco Grand Prix, where he won the race in 2022.
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