Sergio Perez will start the Belgian Grand Prix from the second row of the grid on Sunday after the Sahara Force India driver had a strong qualifying session around the Spa-Francorchamps circuit on Saturday afternoon.
The Mexican initially took fifth, but a grid penalty for Romain Grosjean means he will start fourth alongside Valtteri Bottas, with Perez admitting he has the most confidence in the VJM08 he has had so far this season.
“It’s been a really good day and I am very satisfied with my lap in Q3,” revealed Perez. “We were able to improve the car balance from yesterday and this gave me a whole lot of confidence – probably the most I have had this season.
“The car was much more predictable and this allowed me to push more in every corner. I showed very good pace in each of the three qualifying sessions and I am really looking forward to the race tomorrow.”
Perez reckons he can fight for a top three finish on Sunday, and admits his optimism levels for the remainder of the season have risen based on this weekend’s performance so far.
“I see no reason why we cannot fight for the podium,” insisted Perez. “The performance today also gives me a lot of optimism for the remainder of the season.
“The team is doing an amazing job and I am happy I was able to back it up with a good performance behind the wheel. I have been working hard with my engineers to get on top of the updated car and I expect to do this weekend after weekend.”
