Sergio Pérez feels the decision to avoid the Hypersoft tyres in the second segment of Qualifying for the Mexican Grand Prix was the right one to make, and he is confident that with harder starting tyres, he can move forward from thirteenth on the grid on Sunday.
Neither Pérez nor Racing Point Force India F1 Team team-mate Esteban Ocon opted to use the Hypersoft Pirelli tyre in Q2 despite knowing that the pink-banded compound would have likely given them the time jump to get into the top ten shootout.
Both drivers attempted to use the purple-banded Ultrasoft to get into Q3 but both fell short, with Pérez’s only other disappointment coming when Fernando Alonso’s best lap in Q2 pushed the home hero down to thirteenth on the grid.
“We had the pace to go into Q3 with the Hypersoft tyres, but we didn’t think it was worth the risk to start on those tyres,” said Pérez. “We knew it would be hard to make it into the top ten on the Ultrasofts but starting on a harder compound should give us an advantage tomorrow – we basically chose a better strategy over grid position.
“My only regret is that Fernando [Alonso] is ahead of me: I lacked a bit of grip in the final part of my Q2 lap and he was able to be ahead of me on Hypersofts. I am confident about our chances tomorrow. We believe our strategy is the correct one and we can move forward in the race.”
