Pérez and Ricciardo explain themselves after qualifying

Sergio Pérez and Daniel Ricciardo will start from the back of the grid at the Hungarian GP, ​​the Mexican only taking 16th place (with Antonio Giovinazzi’s penalty) while Daniel Ricciardo had to settle for 18th place.

The two drivers could certainly have claimed better, but the Mexican and the Australian hampered themselves in their last attempt. While the traffic was heavy at the start of the lap, the driver Renault tried to overtake Racing Point. But Sergio Pérez defended his position.

“Everyone was trying to create a gap with the other cars, explained Sergio Pérez on Sky Sports F1. What Daniel tried to do was very disrespectful. He destroyed his tower and mine. I had to attack in the last corner because I would have started my lap being too close to him. »

Daniel Ricciardo showed no remorse after taking a chance on a clear lead, even if his strategy didn't pay off.

“I wasn’t angry with Pérez. There is an etiquette, a code of conduct between the pilots but it goes to a certain point, commented the Renault driver. At the end of the day, you have to make the best decision for you. We experienced a similar situation in China. If everyone respects the gaps, you don't need to step on each other's toes. You don't intentionally ruin anyone else's attempt, but at the end of the day, it's every man for himself. In hindsight, I could have waited and crossed the line on time. But I told myself that my tires would be cold as ice floes so I went for it. This is a difficult situation to judge and you have to make a decision in a second. »

“I was told I had some time before the checkered flag but I didn't expect to hit a line of cars before the last lap, added the Australian. I was not aware of the number of cars that still had to complete a lap. And then I saw everyone, I was like, “Do I slow down and let my tires get cold or do I try to go for it? »I saw Lewis try his luck by sneaking in. I managed to surpass Grosjean and I believed that I would be able to do the same with Pérez and we found ourselves side by side in the last corner. All this has little importance in the end. We both could have done a better job on our launch ride. »

Daniel Ricciardo was, however, frustrated at not having been able to do better with his Renault R.S.19.

“It’s easy to say this sitting with you but I feel like the car could go to Q3. The first lap in Q1 was rather average but I knew there was time to be gained easily given our performance in FP3. This contributes to frustration. I think we were much better, he added. We can go back up. It's complicated to overtake here but if you have a fast car you can do it, as was the case for me last year. We have to try something different and hope it works. I arrived here motivated and confident. It’s a track that I like and where I thought the car could stand out in a positive way. »