Perez unimpressed with Ricciardo: 'Not the only one who wants that seat'

Sergio Perez equals his best startng position since the Belgian Grand Prix in July with a P5 start but it wasn't all good news as the Mexican starts behind Daniel Ricciardo. The AlphaTauri driver is rumoured to have a good chance of taking over the Mexican's Red Bull Racing seat in the future, but Perez says he does not feel directly threatened by the Australian.

Perez not intimidated by Ricciardo

Helmut Marko said he was impressed by Ricciardo's lap and Perez also admits the AlphaTauri driver drove a "great lap" by qualifying between Max Verstappen and Perez.

"Well, Daniel did a tremendous lap,” Perez is quoted by Racefans.net. Asked if the Australian is a threat to his seat with the Austrian team, he replied: "I don’t think it’s just Daniel that wants my seat. I think there is a lot of other drivers that want to be in that seat. And it’s great, if it’s what they deserve, then I’m happy for them.”

Ahead of his home race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Perez received a standing ovation as he addressed his many fans. "Unbelievable, this is by far the best crowd in the world and I'm privileged to have them. I can only say a huge thanks to everyone that has made a massive effort to be here," said the Red Bull driver. On his chances for the F1 race, he remains realistic: "I think having a good start is important around this place. Overtaking is really difficult. So overtaking on the start will be key and then from then on let's see what the tyres do."