Sergio Pérez praised his Racing Point F1 Team after securing fifth in qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The Mexican stayed out the walls and made the right decisions when the red flags came out to get his best grid slot since the Belgian Grand Prix last year.
The session went over its usual one hour due to incidents for Robert Kubica and Charles Leclerc and with the cooler temperature, Pérez felt the Racing Point got better.
“It was a great qualifying, the team did a tremendous job in terms of the strategy.
“We reacted really well and got all the decisions right – when to go out and when not to go out.
“It was a long session, the track cooled down a lot but I think we did a good job and we were able to get more out of the car.
The Baku City Circuit is very unique in the way it is laid out and Pérez admits you need a lot of confidence to get the best laptime.
“This is a very unique track, it pushes the driver to the maximum.”
“You need to be on the limit every lap without making any mistakes and that takes a lot of commitment and confidence.”
Pérez is the only driver to have finished on the podium twice in Azerbaijan and he knows anything can happen round this track so admits the key is to stay “cool” and make sure you reach the finish.
“It will be a long race, we have some very fast cars around us but anything can happen here in Baku.
“A single mistake can cost you a lot.
“It is important to stay cool and I think if we are able to finish the race we should be able to score good points.”
