Sergio Perez is waiting for his home race to start from the second row, but he wanted more than that and took it within his reach. Because of a problem, he became a participant in the “blind” pole battle.
Exactly 0.353 seconds was missing as the stands exploded full of enthusiastic Mexicans during Saturday’s qualifying session. The home favorite, Sergio Perez, was far ahead of his teammate Max Verstappen, missing the pole position frequently.
Given the fact that in the second quarter there were still 5 competitors in the 65 thousand range in the lead, the difference seems significant. However, with his first stellar lap in the third quarter, Perez was still considered involved in the starting battle, and after it became clear what problems he was dealing with, the bottom line also takes on a slightly different light. Red Bull called the Mexicans to the pits for a short check after the first round of Q1. His DRS did not open on that lap and so he was in the landing position. Then he managed to escape from there, but the difficulties that he faced accompanied him throughout the rehabilitation period.
“The first question was tough. Our main concern was the electronics issue that didn’t leave me a reference screw. The DRS zones didn’t show up, I had to activate everything myself. It was also difficult with the brake balance because I didn’t know exactly where I was with it. It was a mess. total chaos”
Perez said.
“We tried to do everything right, but I was basically blind in qualifying. I didn’t have a reference time, sometimes I didn’t have information about brake balance. From this point of view, fourth place is not bad, but I really think it was possible to reach to number one today.
It happened, it probably didn’t help that he was always out front of the field in Q3, so he didn’t even have a chance for a wind shadow. “There was no point in going later. We felt the cycle improvement was too small. We don’t want to be marketed. Most of all, the comparison was missing, and I didn’t know how the brake force balance was” Said the race winner three times.
“When I look back, I crashed in Q1 and Q2 and came close to the lead after that. That’s fine, but unfortunately he finished fourth, and third would have been perfect for the race. I have to start really well.”
It will not depend on the audience. Their enthusiasm gives Perez extra strength. “Amazing. I am so proud of my country and what they do in Formula One. This is a huge event.” Praise the Mexicans.