F1 Today | Perez delights as Mercedes kick themselves

Sergio Perez pulled it out of the bag. For the first time in a long time, the Mexican got a positive result in qualifying and can start on the front row of the grid in the Belgium Grand Prix. Meanwhile, Mercedes are unhappy with themselves as they believe a pole positon slipped through their fingers.

Perez bites back

Sergio Perez breathed a sigh of relief after a positive qualifying session but insists it doesn't change anything as his focus remains on the bigger picture. The Mexican even snapped back at the people who have been criticising the driver over recent months. See his response here.

He also picked up a lot of praise from Helmut Marko, who has been critical of Perez's performance in recent months. Helmut Marko was delirious after qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix. The Austrian is obviously lyrical about Max Verstappen, but also praises a very strong performance from Sergio Perez. Horner also made sure to deliver the praise.

Mercedes kick themselves

Lewis Hamilton has been critical of the Mercedes strategy in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix. The seven-time World Champion believed pole position was attainable if he had one more set of intermediate tyres at the end of Q3. In the end, Hamilton finished fourth fastest but will start in P3 because of Max Verstappen's grid penalty. However, the Brit was not happy with Mercedes' decisions during qualifying. See his response here.

Toto Wolff also reported that Mercedes are kicking themselves for not being more aggressive in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix. The Mercedes team boss saw a chance of pole position slip through their fingers after going for a "conservative approach".

Verstappen also hits back

Max Verstappen could not resist after qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix. The Dutchman had been on the sim last week after receiving so much criticism in Hungary. According to Max Verstappen, all the people being crucial of that can "f*** off".

But he reported that everything is okay within the team. Max Verstappen experienced a disappointing Hungarian Grand Prix; internally, everything seemed to be on edge. During that weekend, Verstappen also said he felt that not everyone within the team was on the same wavelength. The Dutchman felt he was not always listened to. After qualifying in Belgium, Verstappen is more positive in that regard.