Sergio Perez was pleased to deliver “when it mattered” after securing pole position for the Miami Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver admitted he had been struggling for performance throughout practice, trailing teammate Max Verstappen by a few tenths and even coming under threat from Ferrari.
“I think it’s been my worst weekend up to qualifying, really,” Perez stated in Parc Ferme.
“It was one of those weekends where I was just struggling for balance and confidence. I just couldn’t figure out how to pull those tenths that I was missing all the time to Max and to the Ferraris.
“I was just resetting everything. Just everything. It wasn’t coming together.”
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— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) May 7, 2023
In qualifying, however, Checo got it right, producing a solid first run in Q3 to claim provisional pole while Verstappen made a mistake before Charles Leclerc ended the session early with a crash.
“Then we did a small change into qualifying and everything became more alive,” Perez added. “I think with this tarmac we were just playing a bit with the tools, and we put the lap in when it mattered.”
With Verstappen starting only P9, Sunday represents a great chance for the Mexican to take the lead in the Drivers’ Championship.
“Tomorrow it’s a new opportunity starting from pole,” he agreed. “Yeah, see what happens tomorrow.
“I’m just thinking race-by-race I will go out and cheer for my team because they’ve done a tremendous job.”
A contrast in fortunes in Q3 ? Both will be giving it their all tomorrow ? pic.twitter.com/fCPS9KwegX
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) May 6, 2023
As for Max, the reigning champion took the blame for running wide at Turn 7 on the first Q3 run.
“That was definitely a mistake of mine trying to put it on the limit, and then I made a mistake and had to abort the lap,” Verstappen explained.
“Then you rely on a bit of luck that there is not going to be a red flag, but it can happen on the street circuit. So, I’m just a bit upset with myself.
“I mean, it’s going to be tough. I’ve made it difficult for myself.”