Pérez, without Verstappen's slipstream: "We had talked about it, but it was right"

Checo Pérez will start the 2022 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix from second position, sharing the front row of the grid with Carlos Sainz ‘s Ferrari, heir to pole position after Verstappen was penalized for engine changes.

The Dutchman will have to start from the middle of the grid, despite crushing all his rivals in Saturday’s qualifying session.

Pérez was third fastest in qualifying, but his Red Bull Racing team-mate’s penalty moves him up to second. Checo was on track to improve on his last attempt in Q3, lowering his time in the first sector, but lost several tenths in the middle of the circuit, which prevented him from closing the gap to Sainz.

“Second position is not the worst place to be here”, said Checo Pérez in statements at the end of the session, celebrating that he will be able to take advantage of Carlos Sainz’s slipstream on the first lap, especially on the way to the first long straight of the circuit Spa Francorchamps.

“Nobody wants to go up Eau Rouge first,” he told DAZN F1 with a smile.

The one from Guadalajara is clear about who his rival will be, and he assures that he really wants to compete in this race: “I think that if I am able to get a good start compared to Carlos, then it can be different. I can be on the other side of the front row So yeah, I’m looking forward to tomorrow. I think it’s going to be a great race ahead of us.”

In the last attempt of Q3, Ferrari sent Charles Leclerc on the track to help Sainz take pole by giving him slipstream, but at Red Bull the situation was different and Max Verstappen remained in the pits. Asked why there was no help from his team-mate, whether it was something planned or not, Pérez said: “We had talked about it, but I think the time was very limited for the last Q3 start and that limited us a bit.

With the pace exhibited by Verstappen, Pérez is clear that he cannot be ruled out of the fight for victory, despite starting from the eighth row: “I think he has a very good pace to be in the fight”.

The Mexican’s first goal is to reduce the difference of five points against Charles Leclerc, second in the drivers’ world championship. “For that it will be very important to make a good start and try to make our own race from the beginning and I think that will be the key for tomorrow,” he concluded.