Perez sounds more optimistic than Verstappen: 'Then we should be looking good'

Now 33 points behind Mercedes, it is important for Red Bull Racing to score big points with both drivers in Turkey. With Lewis Hamilton's grid penalty, this weekend looks like the chance for Red Bull to do just that. Max Verstappen hasn't been too happy with the car, but Sergio Perez seems a bit more positive than his teammate.

"Overall, yes, a pretty challenging Friday. Mercedes looked strong, but hopefully overnight we are able to chip away a couple of tenths and be in the mix for tomorrow", the Mexican says on the official website of F1. Perez finished 10th in FP1 and fourth in FP2 - a big improvement.

'Other than that a positive Friday'

Verstappen complained about the balance of the car, but Perez seems to be more optimistic than the Dutchman. According to him, the team only needs to find a few more tenths to be there.

"It’s all about compromise, you know?", he added. "I think if you try to get the ideal balance for quali on one lap, you compromise a bit too much the long run pace, which is important around here because overtaking is relatively easy. I expect some cars are going to try it on Sunday if it’s dry. But other than that, I think [it was a] positive Friday and hopefully we are able to chip a couple of tenths away and we should be looking good", Perez says.