Perez: "We maximised out potential" with P5 in qualifying

Sergio Perez had a very strong qualifying for the Sakhir Grand Prix and is set to start fifth for the race on Sunday. Perez has been in scintillating form this season and will be keen to make up for missing out on the podium last week after a late engine failure.

The Mexican was well set to take 15 points and a second podium in succession, but an engine problem ended his race with just a few laps to go. The heartbreak hasn't hurt his spirit however, as he put in a brilliant performance to start on the third row of the grid on the shortened Bahrain track.

After the session, he told Sky Sports: "Today we very much maximized our potential. Putting absolutely every corner right was a half a tenth. We are suffering a bit with the engine, we had to go back to the old engine. We are missing our fresh engines. Tomorrow there is a lot of unknowns."

Perez is relieved with his strong session, expressing he feels it will be tough to pass in the race: "Track position is important here because it's so difficult to overtake here. One tenth around here makes a big difference."