Checo Pérez will start with a soft tire; their direct rivals with the media in Imola
Mexican Sergio Checo Pérez obtained the best qualification in F1 during the Imola Grand Prix, finishing in second place with a time of 1: 14.446, just behind Lewis Hamilton who won pole position for the Emilia Romagn Grand PrixA.
Checo Pérez surprised on the second day of activities and managed to place only behind the world champion, which posted a time of 1: 14.411. Tapatío managed to advance to Q3 after living in Bahrain, where he was eliminated in Q2. It is not the first time he qualifies for second place, he did it in Azerbaijan 2016. However, that date was sanctioned and he lost the first starting line. Until the press time of this note, RB16B was not sanctioned for any technical reason, so this will officially be his best starting position in F1.
Checo placed sixth in the first group with 1: 15.395. While Vertappen obtained the fourth position 1: 15.109.
During the second qualifying round, Pérez obtained 1: 14.716 placing first in the standings and ahead of the young Lando Norris, who was slower than Checo by only 0.002 thousandths.
The third place of the afternoon spent at Emilia Romagna went to Max Verstappen – Checo defeated the young Dutchman only in his second Red Bull race was not something that many would have predicted.
The negative point of Sergio Pérez for this weekend at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari will start with the soft compound, as this would allow him a shorter time on the track during his first internship – although, on the other hand, it is Checo Pérez, a rider who has stood out for managing the tire.
But not everything is negative when you start with the softer tire, because with this Checo you will be able to hunt Hamilton with a good start and with the fastest tire in the first laps. However, if Pérez fails to get Lewis to the starting point, each lap will be more complicated due to the greater wear of the tire – which also degrades faster if you follow in the footsteps of another car.
An interesting start to the competition takes place in Imola, the two Red Bulls – in different strategies – fighting against the world champion. From Mexico 2018, Red Bull did not have the first two cars in the first three starting positions.
Pérez will look to get on the podium after his presentation at that circuit in 2020, where he finished sixth after starting 11th with Racing Point – it would be his first with RB.
The race in Italy will take place at 8:00, Central Mexican time.
Checo Pérez is in fifth place in the 10-point F1 drivers’ world championship.