Sergio Perez equalled his career best qualifying result in Formula 1 in Abu Dhabi as the ever-improving Mexican secured fourth on the grid on Saturday.
The Sahara Force India driver was on course for third at the Yas Marina Circuit until a late flying lap from Kimi Raikkonen denied him, but Perez was pleased with the performance during the session, and hopes to be able to turn this into a strong result for the team during the race on Sunday.
“Fourth place on the grid is a great result for us and I’m very pleased with our strong performance all the way through qualifying,” insisted Perez. “We’ve made some good decisions this weekend with the changes we have made to the car and it’s taken us in a very positive direction.
“I think the analysis we carried out after the weekend in Sao Paulo has really paid off and we’ve learned a huge amount. All of my laps this evening were very clean and tidy, and we managed to get the maximum from the car.
“The challenge tomorrow will be keeping some very quick cars behind me, but I also think we have a good chance to make up some positions at the start. I have the confidence in the car to really push and there is definitely the potential to come away with a great result this weekend.
“In many ways it’s a shame that tomorrow is the final race of the season because the car is working very well at the moment and I’m enjoying the racing so much.”
