Sergio Pérez was happy with the feeling of his Sahara Force India F1 Team car after Thursday practice for the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Mexican has had mixed fortunes at the Circuit de Monaco in the past, with a high of a podium in 2016 coming five years after a low of a huge crash at the Nouvelle Chicane in 2011 whilst racing for the Sauber F1 Team.
This year he started the morning session brightly as he completed thirty nine laps on his way to finishing eighth fastest, but Pérez dropped down the order in the afternoon session as he finished twelfth fastest, although he was quicker in both sessions than team-mate Esteban Ocon.
The day break between second and third practice is unique in Monaco but Pérez feels Force India need to use that time to improve the balance ahead of the most important qualifying session of the season. The midfield looks very tight once again with only half second separating ten drivers in second practice but the Mexican believes Force India can reach the third part of qualifying on Saturday.
“The general feeling with the car is good, but we need to improve the balance to find some more lap time before qualifying,” said Pérez.
“It is going to be a very close battle in the midfield, but if we do a good job over the next few days we can battle for a place in Q3.”