Perez: 'We can't afford not to be on pole then'

In Italy, Carlos Sainz was in pole position. In the dominant season of Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen, it is almost remarkable not to see that combination driving at the front. Sergio Perez warns the team ahead of the Singapore GP. Pole position there is crucial for victory.

It also took Verstappen more than 10 laps after the start of the Italian GP to actually get past Sainz and regain the lead. It has been one of the Dutchman's less dominant moments in the matchless series that Verstappen drove in 2023. Altough, once in the lead, Verstappen left his competition behind and pulled a big gap.

Should qualifying for the next race in Singapore again turn out the same for Red Bull, Verstappen may face an even bigger challenge than in Monza. At least, that is what teammate Perez says in a cautionary tone. Perez won the Singapore race in 2022 and knows how important it is to start at the front of the grid.

After the race, he said, "I agree with Max. I think it's going to be a weekend where basically anything can happen. And hopefully we are able to have a very strong Saturday, because if you don't start on the front row, it's very unlikely that you will have a shot at the victory. So hopefully we can repeat what we did last year there.."