What if Sergio Perez got involved in the fight for pole position in Baku?

We know the love story that binds Sergio Pérez to the city of Baku. Here, in the Azeri capital, the Mexican is the only driver to have won more than once: in 2021, for his first victory with Red Bull, and in 2023 at the end of a perfect weekend (double victory in Sprint and Grand Prix). Very comfortable on urban circuits, especially in Azerbaijan, "Checo" demonstrated it again on Friday during Free Practice with the 2nd time in EL2, just six thousandths of a second off the best time set by Charles Leclerc.

On the Azeri track, the RB20 – equipped with an evolution on its floor which seems to bring satisfaction to the Austrian clan – proved to be very fast and better adjusted than its main competitor, the McLaren MCL38 of the duo Piastres-Norris. A godsend for Sergio Perez who, after months of struggle, finds himself in a good position before the rest of the weekend. The six-time Grand Prix winner was very satisfied with his day on Friday and highlighted the good progress made by his team between the two test sessions.

“It’s been a good, solid day. We made good progress from the first to the second free practice session, so we just need to make sure we’re able to improve further from there., underlines the Mexican. I think we're going in the right direction, we're finding that we can put a little bit more together in the car."

Perez able to help Verstappen in Baku?

Enough to get involved in the fight for pole position? According to Sergio Pérez, anything is possible, he hasn't dominated a qualifying session since the Miami Grand Prix... 2023, almost a year and a half ago! “I think [on Saturday] anything can happen, really, so we just have to keep our heads down and hope to get two good laps. We only need one in Q3!”, exclaims number 11.

A good performance this weekend could salvage the record of a difficult season, he who has not found the way to the podiums since the Chinese Grand Prix, last April. However, in Baku or elsewhere, Sergio Pérez knows the two tasks he must accomplish: to score points in the Constructors' Championship, certainly, but also to help Max Verstappen in the quest for the Drivers' title. And for once, we could well have a two-on-two fight between the Red Bulls and the McLarens...

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