Sergio Perez should have secured a second row grid slot for the Dutch Grand Prix according to his Formula 1 team boss Christian Horner. Perez was fifth fastest after the first runs in Q3, but crashed at the final corner on his second lap, bringing the session to an early end with yellow flags. This prevented anyone from improving - meaning Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen claimed pole position by just 0.021s over Charles Leclerc. And Horner believes Perez should have at least earned a top four place on the Zandvoort grid.
Perez has been struggling throughout the Dutch GP weekend, including 12th fastest in second practice on Friday. Helmut Marko even criticised his Friday efforts, as he continues to fall short of getting near Verstappen - who missed most of FP1 due to a gearbox problem. "It's a shame for Checo that he didn't get to finish that lap because he was up as well," Horner explained to Sky Sports F1. "I think he would have probably been on the second row, but he's still P5 in his fight against Charles and Carlos [Sainz Jr] tomorrow as well. He can fight hard from that."
Horner still playing down title chances
Despite Red Bull enjoying a 118 point lead in the Constructors' and Verstappen a 93 point lead over Perez in the Drivers', Horner is also adamant that the team stick to its 'one race at a time mantra.' "The championships are looking healthy, but we're not really looking at them," said Horner. "We're taking it race by race. And it's a matter of getting the most out of every session, every qualifying, and every race and then the tables, as you know from experience, they tend to take care of themselves."
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