On a sensational Saturday in Saudi Arabia, Sergio Perez clinched the record for most races before taking a pole position – while the Mexican also claimed his country’s first-ever pole position in F1 with a stunning performance under the floodlights on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit fetched.
Perez had looked a step behind his teammate Max Verstappen and the two Ferrari drivers throughout the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend, not finishing higher than third in any free practice or qualifying segment.
But a scintillating final lap by the Mexican in Q3 saw him set a best time of 1m28.200s to take his first pole – in his 215th race – by just 0.025s from Charles Leclerc, with Perez unable to hide his delight after qualifying .
READ MORE: Perez edges out Ferraris for sensational first qualifying pole position for Saudi Arabia
“It feels incredible!” said Perez, who failed to score with Verstappen in the season opener in Bahrain a week ago. “We come from a difficult weekend [in] Bahrain and the team fought so hard at home in Milton Keynes, everyone is really positive and very happy about it.”
When asked what clicked for him behind the wheel of his Red Bull RB18 in Q3, Perez replied: “I think the level of risk and getting that rhythm and precision was key.
“If there’s one place you want to be on pole, it’s here,” he added, “because you know you’ve made the lap and you’ve got the perfect lap overall.”
Sergio Pérez is confident he can benefit from the ‘perfect lap’ and first pole