In a twice disrupted qualifying session, due to crashes for Nicholas Latifi and Mick Schumacher, Perez beat the Ferraris of practice pace-setter Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr to become the first Mexican polesitter in F1 history.
A lap that Perez called “unbelievable” and drew praise from championship leader Leclerc also broke Mark Webber’s long-standing record for the most F1 starts before his first pole, with the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix set to be his 215th F1 start.
Perez becomes the first Red Bull polesitter at the start of F1’s new ground effect era, with reigning world champion Max Verstappen only fourth-fastest as he reported struggles for grip during the decisive Q3 session.
However, the Dutchman could be optimistic for the race as Perez revealed that the Milton Keynes team had sacrificed some qualifying performance for improved long-run pace.
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