Sergio Perez has predicted that following other cars will be even more difficult in Formula 1 in 2024 and could hinder his attempts to recover from fifth in Bahrain.
Despite lagging just 0.358s behind team-mate and polesitter Max Verstappen, Perez was resigned to the third row amid a closely fought opening qualifying hour.
The Mexican admits that a vital mistake at Turn 1 cost him the chance to start alongside the sister Red Bull, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc a tenth further up in second.
Perez also believes his Q3 chances were hampered when he used an extra set of tyres as Red Bull opted to guard against a possible elimination in the second stage.
“It’s been a positive day for the team,” he assessed. “From my side I messed up at Turn 1, lost a tenth and a bit and that was enough to take me from probably P2 or P3. We’ve seen the gaps.
“It was also a shame that we lost the second set in Q2 without the need – we ended up aborting but it was already a scrubbed tyre.
“But anyway, plenty of things to look forward to for tomorrow.”
However, Perez was still optimistic about his personal one-lap performance and he is confident that Red Bull’s race pace should be even stronger in comparison.
“I feel there is good potential and there is good understanding. I think we’re making good progress,” he reflected.
“It’s the first time we’re running it at such light fuel, and even through qualifying we were making some good progress.
“It’s a shame that in the end we didn’t get to show it, but I think we are in a much better position and also our race pace is better, so let’s see where we end up tomorrow.”
Perez acknowledges that Red Bull’s decision to select an additional set of the Soft compound compared to its rivals could provide a strategic benefit during the race.
He added: “I think we have started the season strongly. The result might not show it but it’s just a matter of putting everything together.
“We are in a good position for tomorrow, having that flexibility with the Softs, we have good tyres for tomorrow.”
But Perez is cautious that his hopes of climbing to a podium position could be impacted as he reveals that dirty air has become worse with the latest ground effect cars.
“I think following has become a little bit harder, so it will be interesting tomorrow to be with cars around to see what it’s like,” he concluded.
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