Perez: "Been a lot of pressure put on us" with sprint format change

Sergio Perez won the Sprint Race in Azerbaijan and therefore scores eight points in the World Championship. Previously, this result meant that he would've started from pole position, but Friday's qualifying result now sets the grid for the Grand Prix. But the Mexican is delighted to score maximum points after all of the pressure placed on the team.

Perez started from second on the grid and made light work of pole-sitter Charles Leclerc given the advantage Red Bull hold in a straight line. With DRS, Perez made the move, and the rest of the 100km dash was relatively unchallenged.

Strong result

"It was good, tricky sessions. It's been a lot of pressure put on us and our teams. To get away with the maximum points was the main objective, but we know that tomorrow is the main race," Perez said in the post-session interview.

After a disappointing result in Melbourne, Perez lost some confidence. But a result in the sprint race gives the Red Bull driver something to build on. He is confident he can fight for the win in Sunday's race despite starting from one place further back.

"We were able to learn a bit, but tomorrow we will be on much higher fuel loads and different track conditions. P3 is not ideal for tomorrow's race, but I will fight for the win," Perez added.