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Sergio Perez managed to finish Saturday's qualifying session in P2 and said he will try and attack pole-sitter Charles Leclerc at the start of Sunday's main race. The Red Bull driver showed incredible pace in the intermittent conditions, missing out on pole position by only 0.022 seconds.
Much of the season has not gone Perez's way, with his teammate Max Verstappen being the clear championship favorite in 2022. The Mexican driver, however, managed to set an incredible lap at the end of Saturday's Q3, shocking the F1 world.
Lewis Hamilton seemed to be on par for pole position in Singapore but lost out to both Leclerc and Perez at the end of the session. Verstappen, however, looked like the clear favorite to take pole after setting a blazingly fast middle sector on his final lap, but was told to pit by his team instead of crossing the finish line.
Sergio Perez highlighted his strategy for Sunday's race in an interview with Naomi Schiff, saying:
“It is rare opportunity tomorrow and I will try from the start to attack Charles and go for the win. It was quite disappointing to miss out on pole by two-hundredths but at the end of the day, it is a great team result. My team did a fantastic job. Very very happy and excited for tomorrow.”
Change in RB18 development to blame for Sergio Perez's deficit to Max Verstappen, claims Red Bull engineer
Red Bull engineer Pierre Waché claims Sergio Perez is struggling to keep up with Max Verstappen's performance in the second half of the 2022 F1 season due to a change in the RB18's development arc. The car currently suits Verstappen a lot more than the Mexican, with the Dutchman right on the cusp of securing his second world title.
Perez started the 2022 season strongly in the RB18, scoring his first pole position in the sport at the F1 Saudi Arabian GP. The Mexican driver also went on to win the F1 Monaco GP, proving his form in the team's 2022 challenger. The driver seems to have found good form again in Singapore, finishing P2 at the end of Saturday's qualifying session.
The 32-year-old, however, has failed to match Max Verstappen's raw pace, losing out to him on multiple occasions. Red Bull has now admitted that its development plans for 2022 cost Sergio Perez his performance, with the car reportedly favoring Verstappen's style of driving.
Waché said:
“I think there are multiple factors but the main one is clearly the car balance and confidence with it compared to the beginning of the year. When the car was a little bit more balanced for [Perez] and a little bit less for Max, after the potential of development we put on the car during the season, [it] moving away from that is maybe part of it.”
With the Mexican driver having highlighted his strategy against Charles Leclerc for Sunday's race, Red Bull fans can hope for another win for the 32-year-old in 2022.
