Red Bull feared it would be "extremely hard to get Mercedes" before executing tow trick

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez line up first and third

Ian Parkes

Saturday 11 December 2021 19:44

Sergio Perez has revealed Red Bull believed it would be "extremely hard to get Mercedes" in qualifying before landing a crucial pole position for the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen secured the top spot on the grid by a staggering margin, over three-tenths of a second from Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner described Verstappen's lap as "absolutely insane", with Perez playing his part with a tow midway through the lap.

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"It was a great day," said Perez. "We thought before qualifying it was going to be extremely hard to get Mercedes.

"With these things [a tow], it only takes a little too much for it to go wrong so I'm very pleased it worked out and we're in a position to support Max with his pole.

"It's a very important pole for him, and I'm now looking forward to it."

Downforce change key - Perez

Verstappen's pace was underpinned by a lower downforce setting on the RB16B.

A rear wing was changed during final practice, with Horner suggesting that was due to "a reliability issue".

"We tried different levels of downforce, high versus the lower one," added Perez. "We decided to go a step lower in downforce thinking it might be beneficial for the race."

With the Red Bull pair lining up first and third and Hamilton and team-mate Valtteri Bottas only second and sixth, it leaves the former still in with a chance of securing the constructors' title.

Staring at a 28-point gap, though, Perez said: "It is a massive shot but anything can still happen. We will give our best and we will see where it takes us."