Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez, the Red Bull driver, expressed frustration over the challenges posed by tear-offs during the 2024 F1 season, following a disappointing performance at the Australian Grand Prix.
Tear-offs, visor covers discarded during races, have increasingly become problematic in Formula 1 due to the absence of a mechanism preventing them from interfering with other parts of the cars, such as brake ducts, potentially causing significant performance issues or even forcing retirements.
Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, disclosed after the 2024 Australian GP that Perez’s car suffered from a tear-off becoming lodged under its floor, resulting in Perez finishing fifth.
Horner elaborated, stating, “Checo’s race we went long on the first [stint]. His actual pace when he was coming through the field on the hard tyre as he closed in on Fernando [Alonso] 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.”
Perez addressed the press ahead of the Japanese GP, revealing that two tear-offs had impeded his progress in three races of the 2024 F1 season, yet he remains uncertain about a solution.
“Out of three races I’ve had two [tear-offs], there is something with these cars where it is getting a lot more sensitive,” Perez remarked. “It’s hard, you know we tried in the past to put them in the car but it’s just really hard.”
Former F1 driver Martin Brundle suggested that drivers should have a designated space in the car to dispose of tear-offs, rather than discarding them out the side of the car.
Meanwhile, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc advocated for regulatory changes following the 2022 Belgian GP, where a tear-off prompted an early pit stop. “I think maybe moving forward it will be good that we maybe find a solution,” Leclerc commented.
“We might look at something to find a way to keep the tear-off somewhere in the car. I guess there were reasons why this rule was dropped, but I’m not aware of these reasons. Maybe there are also other solutions.”
