Perez not satisfied with first day in Monaco: "Will be a challenge"

Sergio Perez was faster than teammate Max Verstappen on mediums in the first free practice session, but a few hours later the roles were reversed on softs. While Max Verstappen was the fastest of everyone, the Mexican himself did not get beyond seventh place. The difference: more than half a second. So Perez is not completely satisfied with his first day in Monaco.

Whereas Verstappen was going in the right direction with his set-up of the car, that was reversed for Perez. "It was not a great day today in terms of the pace of the car," Perez sulked at F1TV. "FP1 went slightly better than FP2. We have enough things to do and try to get the best points with an eye on qualifying tomorrow."

Perez foresees 'interesting' qualifying

Perez has plenty to think about, he confessed. It was certainly not a day like Red Bull has had most of this season. On the contrary, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Mercedes and even a McLaren were faster than the Red Bull man: "I have to sit down with the guys and make the best choices because every millisecond is going to make a difference. I think it will be a real challenge in qualifying, it will be an interesting session. I think I need to have the tyres so optimal, get in the right window."

Perez won in Monaco last season and is keen to repeat that, especially given his championship ambitions. The Mexican already indicated that his rival and teammate Max Verstappen in Monte Carlo should definitely not run further away in the standings for the world title.