In 2022, Christian Horner thinks Sergio Perez's Formula 1 tyre issues might be related to the precise adjustments required to optimise the new 18-inch compounds.
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Perez has established a reputation as one of the best drivers when it comes to tyre management throughout his F1 career, especially during his time with Sauber and Force India. But Perez said after the season’s last race in Abu Dhabi that this year’s Pirelli tyres, which adopted 18-inch wheel rims and were intended to allow drivers to push harder, had given him more trouble. In terms of controlling the tyres during the race, Perez admitted, “I battled a little bit with these tyres this year.”
So hopefully we can get better at that for next year and just be a little bit stronger overall. In Abu Dhabi, Perez’s tyre issues were costly since they forced him to adapt to a two-stop strategy after he overused his front-right tyre in the early stages of the race.
Charles Leclerc, his rival for second place in the championship, lost the Mexican track position as a result, and he was unable to close the gap in the final stint, finishing third in the race as well as the overall standings. When asked about Perez’s tyre issues this season by Autosport/Motorsport.com, Horner stated that minor set-up adjustments were now having a bigger impact on the performance of the tyres. The margins are really thin this year, according to Horner.
“A small adjustment to your ride height, mechanical balance, or front wing can have a significant impact on the life of your tires. “I believe Checo has participated in numerous races where he displayed excellent tyre management. Only the first stint [in Abu Dhabi] damaged him; compared to Charles and Max [Verstappen], the front right began to grain very significantly. Then, he became out of sync, forcing us to pit him in a severely compromised one-stop situation. As a result, the two-stop race was more aggressive. Over the remainder of the season, Perez found it difficult to keep up a challenge to Verstappen, winning just two of the races to his teammate’s 15 victories, and finished 149 points behind.
