In Japan Checo Pérez will start from fifth place

In Japan Checo Pérez he improved compared to his performance in Singapore and will start from the third row, with Max Verstappen securing another pole position.

After a forgettable weekend where both Red Bull cars were eliminated in Q2, there has been a noticeable improvement this weekend.

Mexican driver Checo Pérez in Japan will begin from the fifth position, but he’s still behind his teammate Max Verstappen, who will start from the first position.

For the start of qualifying, Checo Pérez emerged onto the Suzuka track amidst heavy traffic for his first lap.

On his first attempt, he secured the second position with a time of 1:30.652, but still lagged behind Max Verstappen, who led with a .774-second advantage.

Once again, American driver Logan Sargeant caused a red flag appearance with 9 minutes remaining in the first session, leading to a 10-minute interruption in activities.

After the break, Pérez returned to the track with used soft tires.

The Mexican driver improved in his second and third sectors but, since he was in seventh place and out of danger, the team decided to abort his lap.

In Japan Checo Pérez: Progress

In Japan Checo Pérez faced challenges with the new track surface throughout the free practice sessions, making Q2 a significant challenge for the driver from Jalisco.

Consequently, he hit the track with the task of asserting his authority and emulating Max Verstappen, who dominated the practice sessions.

In this session, Checo Pérez in Japan secured the second position behind Verstappen with a time of 1:30.334 and a .370-second deficit. However, the McLarens emerged to showcase their improvements and moved ahead of Pérez.

With one minute remaining and the urgency to stay secure, the driver from Guadalajara began a quick lap, repeating a consistent first sector and improving in the second part of the track, finishing strongly. With this effort, he jumped to the third position with a time of 1:29.965, trailing his teammate by just .025 seconds.

Red Bull wasted no time heading out to the track in Q3 and were the first to start their laps. In his first lap in Q3, Checo Pérez in Japan clocked a time of 1:30.423, which was 1.411 seconds slower than his teammate.

This was quickly capitalized upon by McLaren, who moved ahead and pushed the Mexican down to the fourth position.

In Japan Checo Pérez will start from the third row alongside Carlos Sainz and will have Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri ahead of him. The pole position will be taken by the championship leader, Max Verstappen.

Following the qualifying session in Japan, Checo Pérez expressed his expectations after securing the fifth position.

Pérez mentioned that he missed his opportunity in Q3 when he used a second set of soft tires in the final minutes of Q2 in an attempt to secure his passage to the last round.

He stated, “Yes, Max has been very solid all weekend. On my side, with issues in the fast corners, I couldn’t stabilize the car enough; it has been a bit challenging. Qualifying hasn’t been ideal, losing a set of new tires in Q2 thinking that we needed them,” said the Mexican to FOX Sports.

Also read: Singapore Grand Prix: Checo to win again; Verstappen for his first victory.