Formula 1

Perez Hoping For Points After Impressive Qualifying

2 Mins read

Sergio Perez is hopeful of scoring more points in tomorrow's Hungarian Grand Prix after getting into Q3 for just the second time this season. The Mexican praised his team for the way they coped with the windy conditions as they searched for a set-up with the super-soft tyre.

The only previous time Perez had qualified in the top ten was at Monaco and he was forced to miss the race after suffering a concussion in a Q3 crash. This time he was delighted to be able to celebrate his success.

“I am very happy. It is the second time that I have made it into Q3 and the first time I can celebrate it. My fastest lap in Q2 was a really good one, I think we achieved the maximum possible today. The team handled the conditions very well, and the strategy was really good. But all what matters is tomorrow. Our race pace should be good, and I hope I can improve and score some good points.”

While Perez sneaked in to Q3, teammate Kamui Kobayashi wasn't so lucky and will start from 12th. The Japanese driver was still happy with his qualifying lap though and still feels he can score points if the Sauber team make the correct calls on strategy tomorrow.

“After we had struggled quite a lot in the free practice this morning, it was much better in qualifying. It was not easy, as we changed the set-up but the conditions also changed. My final lap in Q2 was okay, but I missed to get into Q3. Of course the target for tomorrow is to score points. I have the feeling that the life of both tyre compounds is rather short, so this will make it an exciting Grand Prix here.”

All in all, it was a positive day for the Swiss team and Technical Director James Key has singled out the tyres as the key factor tomorrow, after choosing not to run Perez in Q3 and therefore saving a set of the super-softs.

“I'm very pleased with Sergio's performance in qualifying. We knew from this morning that it was likely to be extremely close, so it was great to get through to Q3. We decided not to do a flying lap in that session. Although possibly we could have made a bit of progress, I think tyre saving will be extremely important tomorrow. We took a strategic decision not to do a timed lap, although he left the pits we decided to bring him in. Unfortunately Kamui couldn't make it to Q3, but it was only a matter of tenths. We will look at all possibilities and try to come up with a sensible race strategy and aim for a good points finish tomorrow.”

Avatar photo
5101 posts

About author
MotoGP, Moto2, Moto3 and WorldSBK writer for The Checkered Flag. Contact: [email protected]
Articles
Related posts
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix - TCF Driver of the Weekend

2 Mins read
TheCheckeredFlag Driver of the Weekend is revealed for the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix – What the Team Principals are Saying after the Race

7 Mins read
The ten Team Principals reflect on drivers performances at Albert Park during Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, a race that saw Ferrari claim their first win of 2024.
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix – What the Drivers are Saying after the Race – Part 2

7 Mins read
Those who missed out on points in Australia reflect on their races, including Max Verstappen, who retired from a Grand Prix for the first time since the same event in 2022.