Pérez: "I don't think we are as bad as it seems"

Sergio Pérez was victorious in Azerbaijan two weeks ago, but in France he's had a more difficult time so far. The Mexican set the fourth fastest time in the morning session but was down in 12th in FP2 just a few hours later.

The Red Bull Racing driver himself knows he didn't have a great afternoon session. "I think I had a pretty bad run. There was some traffic and there were some changes," Pérez said in a Red Bull press release after FP2. "I don't think we are as bad as it looks. Max had a good day and was on pace. We are looking for that. Hopefully tonight we can find the pace."

In Azerbaijan, Red Bull still showed they can keep up with rival Mercedes. Had Max Verstappen not suffered a blowout, Red Bull would most likely have finished first and second. "We are at a different circuit, but we are getting more and more confidence in the car," said Pérez.

While Perez struggled, Verstappen beat Mercedes in the second free practice session and set the fastest time of the afternoon, with a 1:32:872 lap.