Perez wondering about Mercedes pace "when it counts"

Sergio Perez believes Red Bull still need to find "a couple of tenths" if the team is to take the fight to Mercedes in qualifying for the United States Grand Prix.

Mercedes dominated first practice at the Circuit of the Americas as Max Verstappen was its nearest challenger but almost a second adrift of Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton.

In a second session topped by Perez, Mercedes "lost some ground", according to Hamilton as Red Bull appeared to suggest it could at least match the champions on long-run pace.

"It's going to be very tight," assessed Perez of the weekend to come in Austin. "It's all about Saturday and trying to find those couple of tenths [of a second] that could put us in the mix for pole.

“Mercedes were certainly very strong so we’ll see what they have for tomorrow when it counts."

Perez's timesheet-topping lap in FP2 was a tenth of a second slower than Bottas' leading time in the first session.

While Red Bull seemed to suggest it was the equal of Mercedes over a long run, the Mexican driver feels that is where his RB16B is lacking in comparison.

"It was a promising FP2 but there's a lot to be done to try and improve the car, and I also feel there is some margin to still improve our long-run pace," added Perez.

"I wasn't very happy with my tyre deg so I feel there is room to improve there and try to find a bit

"All in all, a positive Friday but we will see tomorrow where we end up."

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