06/05/2023
NEWS STORY
Sergio Perez: "Overall, I was happy with today, we delivered when it mattered and under a lot of pressure. It was good.
"We had a difficult weekend up until qualifying it has been a struggle. The track was improving but this tarmac has only recently been laid and is really sensitive, it has made things a little tricky so I needed that second lap. I knew coming into Turn 3 that you cannot leave anything on the table and it was important to make sure it was a strong lap. It never feels nice when you see another driver crashing or a red flag on track and I was a bit surprised, I thought we were going to go again and not end the session there, but that was it. I just want to do well tomorrow, it's a new day and anything can happen. I have to be fully committed and we have to try to do our own race. The target is to get the perfect launch and then the perfect race. I am very happy; I feel like I am in a good moment but it is a long season and it is all about consistency."
Max Verstappen: "The initial problem starts with me today, I was taking the car to its limit and I made a mistake. I had to abort the lap and then you rely on a bit of luck that there won't be a red flag. It's painful and upsetting, we've been really quick all weekend, my fastest lap in Q2 would have been quick enough for pole which I think says that we have a quick enough car. Of course, I go into every weekend trying to win, but starting ninth is not the optimum position. My minimum target tomorrow should be P2. It's going to be tough tomorrow for sure, but I made it tough for myself."
Christian Horner: "Checo got a superb first lap, the wind was getting up and you could see a few of the cars were struggling but Checo navigated it perfectly to deliver when it counts to get the pole, which we're delighted with. It was frustrating for Max not to get that chance on the second run, there will be a lot of work for him to do tomorrow, but we've seen him come through from 15th to win previously and you can't rule a driver like Max out. We're obviously disappointed not to have both cars up there but we're looking forward to what should be a really exciting race."
Check out our Saturday gallery from Miami here.