Emilia Romagna GP: Qualifying team notes - Red Bull

17/04/2021
NEWS STORY

Sergio Perez: "What a massive result for us, knowing that I could win the race tomorrow is definitely a good feeling. There are a lot of positives to take out of today but I made a little mistake at the final turn, I was so close to pole. I can't believe this is my first Red Bull start on the grid, as I started from the pit lane in Bahrain and it's from the front of the grid! It just shows the amount of work we have put into this as a Team is paying off. Looking to the race tomorrow, Max and I are of course on different strategies, I am starting on the softs and Max is on the mediums so I think we have a good race ahead of us, especially as we've been able to apply the pressure to Mercedes. It was a great result for us today but we can't get too carried away, I know that there is a lot of work to be done and it's important that we keep making good process."

Max Verstappen: "It was not a clean lap in Q3. I made some mistakes and when you go off on a qualifying lap it is never going to be good. The first sector of the first lap wasn't good in the wake of another car so I knew there was a lot of time there and I pushed a bit more on the second lap but I ran wide on the exit of Turn 3 and cut the grass a bit which wasn't very lovely for the lap time. Sometimes these things happen and you can't do a perfect or near perfect lap all the time. There are always things you can do better even when you say it's a perfect lap but today was far from that. I shocked myself that I had a lap like that as it's been a long time since I felt this way after qualifying. Checo did a great job so congratulations to him. We have a good race car and tomorrow is where you score points. There are a lot of factors involved in the race like the weather and the start but for the Team it's always good to have two cars up there, so I hope me and Checo can make it more difficult for Mercedes to decide on a strategy."

Christian Horner: "It was a great team performance today with our best qualifying result in Italy since 2013. Sergio did a fantastic job in just his second qualifying session for us and it was a shame for Max who made an uncharacteristic mistake at Turn 3 on his final run in Q3. It's incredibly satisfying to see both drivers up there and in with a shot at pole, especially in a nail-biting session where the top three were separated by less than a tenth. Sergio is really finding his feet and today marks his best F1 starting grid position. With minimal seat time he's doing a great job and settling into the Team very well. We're in a good position and with both drivers on alternative strategies, we've got a few options which we'll work on this evening to bring home the best possible result tomorrow. It should make for an exciting Grand Prix."

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Published: 17/04/2021
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