Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez will line up on pole for tomorrow’s Miami Grand Prix.
Photo credit: Oracle Red Bull Racing
Pérez took pole for the second time this season after a frenzied end to Q3, which ultimately saw qualifying end early via a red flag.
Speaking to Danica Patrick during the post-qualifying interview with the top three, Pérez admitted that up to that point, he felt his weekend had been far from perfect.
“It has been my worst weekend until qualifying really. I just couldn’t figure out how to pull those tenths that I was missing to Max and to the Ferraris.
“I was just resetting everything. We did a small change into qualifying and everything became more alive. We were playing with the tools and we put [the lap] together when it mattered.”
Asked where his frustrations stemmed from, Pérez explained: “It wasn’t coming together. It’s one of those weekends where I was just struggling for balance, confidence.
He also pointed out that the track surface in Miami makes things more challenging, as “this tarmac is very sensitive to temperature.”
With only six points separating Perez and teammate Max Verstappen in the drivers’ standings, the Mexican added that he’s been enjoying the close fight for the championship so far.
“I’m just thinking race by race. My team, they’ve done a tremendous job. Tomorrow is a new opportunity. Starting from pole, we are the ones that have [something] to lose, but we will just go out there and try to enjoy this amazing crowd.”
Fresh off a recent victory in Baku, Pérez will have the momentum going into the race, with Verstappen starting down in P9 after making a mistake on his first run in Q3, and later getting caught out by the red flag before he could complete a second flying lap in hopes of improving his time.
