Perez balks a little: "With P3 I would have been on the clean side".

"I think there was a bit more in it. It was more ideal to be further up on the grid" Perez said for the cameras at Viaplay. "At least P3 being on the clean side of the grid but it is what it is. Looking forward to tomorrow, try to have a strong lap one and most important a strong pace, I think that will be the most important."

Last season Perez was often more than half a second slower than teammate Verstappen, but in Bahrain, it was only three tenths. For Perez, it will be especially important on Sunday to start putting pressure on Carlos Sainz, so that Verstappen can open the attack on Charles Leclerc without having to look in his mirrors.