Perez to P5 in qualifying in front of home crowd: 'Progression not good'
Sergio Perez is keen to win in front of his own crowd in Mexico, but his starting position is not ideal to do so after finishing fifth in qualifying at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Still, the 33-year-old veteran remains hopeful about his chances in his home race.
What was lacking today? "I think the progression towards Q3 was just not good," Perez said in the square after qualifying. His mission for Sunday is clear: "Everything is possible. We are four places away [from victory], it's a long race. The run to the first corner is long. We know overtaking is very difficult here, but anything can happen."
Perez may still start from the second row of the grid on Sunday. His teammate Max Verstappen has yet to visit the stewards to explain why he drove so slowly out of the pit lane during Q1 in Mexican qualifying. That incident might land him a three-place grid penalty. Perez would then move up to fourth place on the grid.