WATCH: Sergio Perez crashes out of Hungarian Grand Prix Q1

The qualifying session for the Hungarian Grand Prix 2024 proved to be a dramatic affair, especially for Red Bull Racing's Sergio Perez. In a session marked by changing weather conditions and intensifying competition, Perez found himself crashing out at Turn 8, bringing his qualifying hopes to a sudden halt.

As the session progressed, Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes set the fastest time with an impressive 1:17.087, putting him ahead of Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and McLaren's Oscar Piastri. The competition was fierce, with times continuously improving, especially as the first drops of rain began to fall on the circuit.

However, the spotlight shifted abruptly when Perez's Red Bull slid off the track and collided with the wall at Turn 8. This incident brought out the red flag, stopping the session with just 6 minutes and 45 seconds remaining.

Here is the video:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SportsInfo Xtreme (@sportsinfoxtreme)

The crash was a significant setback for Sergio Perez, who has faced a string of disappointing qualifying sessions recently. He had been eliminated in Q1 in three of the last five races, and this crash further compounded his woes.

Sergio Perez walks back to the pits unharmed 

Despite the severity of the shunt, Perez emerged from the car unharmed. The medical car was quickly deployed, but fortunately, it appeared that the Mexican driver was physically fine. His Red Bull, however, was not as fortunate, sustaining considerable damage.

Before the crash, Perez was in P9, a position that looked promising for a solid qualifying result. However, with the session halted and rain now falling more heavily, the likelihood of other drivers surpassing his time diminished. This might allow Perez to retain a spot in the top ten, despite not being able to improve his time further.

The incident also had implications for the rest of the grid. As it stood, the bottom five consisted of Daniel Ricciardo, Lance Stroll, Kevin Magnussen, Zhou Guanyu, and Nico Hulkenberg. These drivers faced an uphill battle to improve their times once the session resumed, especially under worsening weather conditions.