Perez determined to hunt down opportunities from P8

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Force India's Sergio Perez ended qualifying in eighth position, a result which satisfies the Mexican and hopefully provides some opportunities in tomorrow's race.

Given how disrupted Force India's preparation had been leading up to qualifying, Perez's effort and the subsequent result is pretty much the maximum the team could have hoped for.

"I’m very pleased with the qualifying result today given where the pace of the car is at the moment," Perez said.

"It’s probably a bit better than I expected, but the team did a fantastic job getting the car in shape for qualifying considering the lack of track time we had yesterday.

"All of my laps were clean and tidy and I think we maximised the performance today.

"We were probably helped by the fact that we didn't have much running yesterday because the big quicker teams didn't have the time to exploit their full potential.

The prospect of a wet race could throw a bit of uncertainty into the mix, and Perez will be on the lookout to make the most of anything interesting that may come his way.

"It’s looking like we will have a wet race, which could generate some more opportunities because there will be a lot of unknowns about how the wet tyres will perform.

"It will be a big challenge but I'm up for it, and the team is ready for the fight and hopefully we can come away with some more points."

Gallery: All the pictures from Saturday's action in Shanghai

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.