Sergio Perez rules out Ferrari from Suzuka podium: “I’m fighting for P2 with McLaren” | 2023 Japan GP. Sergio Perez rules out Ferrari from Suzuka podium.

F1 Suzuka, Sergio Perez light-years behind Max Verstappen
For Red Bull, Singapore is now a closed chapter in the past, but for Sergio Perez, the new race on the calendar hasn’t brought anything new. The Mexican is consistently and significantly behind Max Verstappen. In the Suzuka qualifying session, Checo lagged behind his teammate by 773 thousandths of a second, an eternity that can be explained not only by the difference in the first sector but also by the overall difference in talent, as seen at Marina Bay, where car #11 struggled while the world champion finished fifth, making a comeback on a track where overtaking is theoretically difficult.

In Suzuka, the ideal hunting ground for the RB19, Sergio Perez will start from the fifth position, behind both the McLarens and Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. According to the Mexican driver, the car’s race pace will allow him to contend for second place with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, but not so much with the Ferrari, which is clearly seen as the third-best team.

Sergio Perez’s comments:
“Today wasn’t as straightforward as we expected. My qualifying session was rather poor, and I struggled a bit with the car’s balance throughout the weekend. We were always two steps behind [Verstappen], and we couldn’t find the stability at the entry that I wanted for the flying lap. Ultimately, losing the second set of tires in Q2 and going into Q3 with only one set put me in difficulty. I think the front row was within our reach today.”

“The day wasn’t ideal, but we did our best, and I believe we can have a very important race tomorrow. McLaren has a great race pace, so I think it will be a good battle with them tomorrow. Max is in great shape, and we can’t wait for the race; we hope to go home with the Constructors’ Championship and finish the Grand Prix with a one-two finish.” – the Mexican driver concluded at the end of the qualifying session for the 2023 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix, which took place earlier today at the 5.807-kilometre Suzuka International Racing Course.