Perez: I made a mistake and I apologize to the team

Qualifying ended differently for the Red Bull Racing drivers, with Max Verstappen taking pole and Sergio Pérez in the second session due to a braking error and crashing off the track.

Max Verstappen (1st): “Today everything went well. The track conditions were difficult, it was very slippery, but we kept our composure, got out of the pits at the right times and were able to do some good laps.

Overall the weekend is going well, although I feel sorry for Sergio, but let’s hope he can recover during the race. On Sunday it’s important to drive well on the first lap and then try to run the race the way we want to. Still, I expect I’ll have to fight.

For a long time Fernando Alonso and I didn’t start from the same row – in my youth I saw how he performed in Formula 1, winning races and championships, so it’s great that tomorrow we will both start the Grand Prix from the front row!

Sergio Perez (13th): “I think the pace of the car allowed me to fight for higher positions, so it’s a shame that qualifying ended like this. I made a mistake and I want to apologize to the team because today I disappointed them.

I had a bit of a problem with the brakes, they didn’t warm up well enough and on the previous lap I had locked the wheels in Turn 10 so there was a bald spot on the tyre. Perhaps because of this I miscalculated for the 3rd turn – probably I should have shown restraint and acted more cautiously, but unfortunately I exaggerated. The wheels locked up and I turned into a passenger.

I’m already tuned into the upcoming race and I hope we can bounce back and earn points. I will attack from the first lap and then we will see what we can achieve, but the car is very fast.”

Christian Horner, Team Principal: “Max had an impressive qualifying today and was fastest in all three sessions despite difficult conditions. The track started to dry out and the pace picked up at the end of the last session to show that the best time was not an easy task, so the whole team did a great job and the pole was won.

Sergio had a lot of bad luck: I think he miscalculated something when braking, and it all ended in a collision with a buffer. The car was under the barrier, so he just couldn’t put it into reverse and get back on the track. But here you can catch up, so let’s hope he can earn points for the team.

Fernando Alonso did a great job in qualifying and I’m sure he has a fighting spirit, but Max needs to focus on getting a good start, getting ahead in the first corner and then picking up speed. Dry weather is expected tomorrow, and let’s hope the race gets interesting.”