P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Perez: Bahrain F1 Q3 mistake cost me top three grid position
Sergio Perez of Red Bull finished the Q3 session just 0.358 seconds behind Verstappen, with Leclerc, Russell, and Sainz narrowly ahead of him. Perez knows he must excel this season to secure his Red Bull seat for the future. Despite some initial setbacks, Perez remains positive after promising testing results translated into a pole position for Verstappen. Perez mentioned that the team had a good day but he made a mistake at Turn 1, costing him a better qualifying position. He feels more comfortable with the RB20 car compared to its predecessor and is optimistic about the team’s progress. Perez highlighted an improvement in entry stability with the RB20 and believes that the team is in a strong position for the upcoming race. Despite potential distractions surrounding team boss Christian Horner, Perez emphasized that everyone in the team is fully focused on racing.
