P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Remarkably, it was only the third front-row lock-out from Red Bull in the last six years!
Sergio Perez hit the jackpot by winning a side bet with Red Bull chief Christian Horner, resulting in the team’s third front-row lockout in six years at the Japanese Grand Prix. Perez’s stellar qualifying performance landed him just 0.066s behind teammate Max Verstappen. Horner jokingly mentioned over the radio that Perez’s P2 finish cost him “a few quid”, revealing the bet was for a front-row lockout. Perez humorously replied, “Now you see how to motivate me!”, to which Horner quipped, “I’ve always known that!” Perez’s engineer, Hugh Bird, joined in, thanking Perez for sharing the success with the team. Perez’s impressive performance in Japan showcases his turnaround from struggling to find the right setup last year to being more confident and competitive this season.
