Red Bull team boss Christian Horner admits that it was “frustrating” to see Sergio Perez crash out of the first free practice session at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
In the opening minutes of the outing, Perez clipped the grass on the entry into Turn 5 and was sent into a spin.
The RB19 sustained sizeable damage to the front suspension and front wing as it impacted the barrier, with Perez eliminated from the remainder of the session.
It marks another difficult moment for the Mexican driver, who is under pressure after failing to reach Q3 at the last five grand prix events.
Speaking to Sky F1 after the crash, Horner said: “It’s obviously frustrating to have had that off.
“The damage, we haven’t got the car back yet, but hopefully it’s contained to the front-right corner, which hopefully will be repairable in time for the next session.”
Running during the session was limited for all teams, as wet weather forced the squads to change their run plans.
Horner is hopeful that as teams aren’t racking up as much mileage as usual during FP1, Perez will not lose out on much data.
“I haven’t had a chance to speak to him yet, but will do after the session,” he said.
“Hopefully he won’t have lost too much through this session, because in these conditions, people aren’t getting many laps in. But not obviously the ideal way to start the weekend.
“You can obviously hear the frustration in his voice and he stuck his hands up. So it is what it is. We’ll get it turned around and out as quickly as we can for the next session.”
Red Bull has introduced upgrades for the race weekend, including changes to the sidepods and floor body.
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