Perez hoped for more: "Lost some balance in the slow corners"

Perez had hoped to fight for pole position, but he soon discovered that the balance of the RB18 would not be good enough to really compete with the fastest guys.

"I didn't feel as comfortable in the car as I did in the third free practice. I lost some balance in the slow corners. Then I had some oversteer, then understeer again. It was never ideal. That's a shame," Perez told Viaplay. Ultimately he came two tenths short of the fastest time of Charles Leclerc.

The 32-year-old driver hopes to take revenge soon. "Yes, hopefully we can be fast tomorrow and show good speed," he said. Teammate Verstappen already expressed his confidence in a nice result and a good number of World Championsip points in Miami immediately after qualifying.