Sergio Perez finally made it to Q3 in Hungarian qualifying, ending his drought of missing out on Q3 in the last five races. However, he could only manage a P9 starting position, while his teammate Max Verstappen secured a front-row start.
Perez had a challenging start to the weekend, crashing early in FP1, but he recovered to make it into Q3. Despite his achievement, he acknowledged that the team’s focus had been more on preparing for the race on Sunday. Given his low starting position and the difficulty of overtaking at the Hungaroring, he emphasized the importance of having a good race car and a strong strategy for Sunday.
While ending his Q3 drought was important, Perez’s P9 starting position might not fully redeem him in the eyes of Red Bull, especially with his teammate Verstappen starting at the front. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner acknowledged the “weird grid” with some unexpected performances, but he highlighted the significance of Perez having a good race on Sunday. The team will need to strategize well to give both their drivers the best chance for a successful race.
