World News – CA – Sergio Pérez: « P5 is a great result for the team and I am very happy with our performance » – The Checkered Flag

Sergio Pérez left late in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix but the Mexican secured an excellent fifth on the grid, taking fourth place in the 2020 drivers’ championship.

The BWT Racing Point Formula 1 team driver was one of the stars of the season and scored points in every race he participated in. Last time he took an excellent second place at the Turkish Grand Prix and seems to have carried the momentum from Intercity Istanbul Park into this weekend’s event at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Pérez says the demand to use only one set of their new soft tires in the first quarter benefited Racing Point in the third quarter when his second run allowed him to move up to fifth on the grid despite having less than one A tenth of a second away was from a second row seat.

« P5 is a great result for the team and I am very happy with our performance, » said Pérez. “We were really able to be decisive for the strategy and get through the first quarter on just one set of soft tires. This was absolutely right and meant that we could use two sets of new soft tires in the third quarter.

« If you look at the fact that I found two tenths on my second run in the third quarter, that call got us several places on the grid. It was a good lap at the end of the third quarter, although I think I lost a bit of time at Turn 13 which may have helped me get to P4. ”

Racing Point is in a close battle with the McLaren F1 Team, Renault DP World F1 Team and Scuderia Ferrari for third place in the constructors’ championship, and Pérez says having a good race on Sunday will be important The Silverstone-based team has the advantage over its rivals.

« It’s a real shame what happened to Lance in the second quarter because his pace looked good, but I’m sure he can recover and score points in the race tomorrow, which is vital in a close midfield match will be, « said the Mexican. « It’s a good result for me today, but qualifying isn’t that representative here.

« What matters is a strong race pace, which I think we have, and getting off to a strong start and making good strategy calls will be important. « . It looks like a race with two or three stops tomorrow. So there is a lot to play and the goal is to score big. ”

Teammate Lance Stroll was an impressive second in the first quarter, but a miscommunication with his mechanics during the red flag in the second quarter left him nearly a second slower and eliminated.

The Canadian was sent out on the track with a used set of medium-duty tires as opposed to a new set, and ultimately they weren’t good enough to challenge the top ten. The Turkish Grand Prix Pole Sitter ultimately had to qualify in thirteenth place.

« We made some changes to the car after the third RP that really paid off, and I was happy with the balance of the car in qualifying that we demonstrated with P2 in the first quarter, » said Stroll. “Unfortunately, the red flag had a big impact on us in the second quarter.

“After the red flag there was a miscommunication that cost us a potential place in the third quarter. We ran out of used media when the rest of the field had new tires and we didn’t have a chance to get into the third quarter. We’re going to review the situation as a team tonight, learn from it, and move on. ”

Stroll believes that free choice of starting tire could work in their favor, and even from thirteenth on the grid, he believes spots under the floodlights on Sunday evening are a definite possibility.

« The positive thing is that we have a free choice of tires from P13 on the starting grid, » said Stroll. “It is possible to overtake here and strategy is important so we can make progress.

« We can aim for the points and I’m happy with the speed of the car. So it’s all to play in the race tomorrow. « . ”

Lance Stroll, Racing Point F1 Team, Bahrain Grand Prix, Formula 1, Sergio Pérez