Horner: 'Wanted no compromises for him to give him clean out lap'
F1 News
After five races of not being there, Red Bull Racing's Sergio Perez finally made it to Q3 again on Saturday at the Hungarian GP. It is not immediate cause for celebration. The gap to teammate Max Verstappen is big and his team had to keep him out of trouble.
Boost in confidence for Perez, but also for Ricciardo
Team boss Christian Horner congratulates the team's second driver for getting through Q3. Perez made it to P9 and was four tenths slower than his teammate who is on P2. With the achievement of Q3, there is still a sour taste in the mouth. It seems the team felt compelled to keep Perez out of trouble. The Mexican was sent out on his own early in the session to be on the safe side.
Speaking to Viaplay, Horner says: "Yes, we just wanted to get no compromises for him to give him clean out laps, the best preparation possible, and great for him since Miami, first time he's been in Q3, so that'll do him a world of good confidence-wise."
The jump to Ricciardo was quickly made in the conversation. The brand new AlphaTauri driver will be eager to replace Perez next year and did well immediately in his first showdown. "You know, in a car that's foreign to him to jump in, you know, seven months out and get through Q1 into Q2 and already be, you know, ahead of his teammate, who we know is quick, I thought that was a very solid performance from Daniel, so I'm sure he'll take some confidence from that," Horner said about the Australian driver.