Perez curses missed Sprint Shootout opportunities after Leclerc pole

Harry Smith
Saturday 29 April 2023 14:48

Sergio Perez has claimed he could have topped the Sprint Shootout if he'd had a cleaner run on his final qualifying lap.

The Mexican beat team-mate Max Verstappen to second during Saturday morning's Sprint Shootout session, getting his revenge for Friday's deficit to the Dutchman.

Beating Verstappen wasn't enough to claim pole position for the sprint race unfortunately, with Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc securing a brace of pole positions with another impressive lap.

This qualifying result will offer Perez the chance to close in on his team-mate in the championship fight with the gap between the pair currently standing at 15 points.

Tricky test in Baku

Speaking with Sky Sports after the Sprint Shootout, Perez said: "It was a tricky session in the end.

"I think just having a little bit more of a clean run on my lap will have helped me probably to get pole, you know with Charles [Leclerc] hitting the wall.

"But they are just a bit stronger than us over one lap, so hopefully this afternoon we are able to close the gap and beat them on race pace.

When asked whether he thinks Red Bull can win the sprint race, Perez replied: "Yeah, that will be the target, for this afternoon and for tomorrow."

READ MORE: Leclerc tops Azerbaijan Sprint Shootout after late crash