Perez shrugs off 'messy day' in Baku

It was a day in which few drivers escaped without some sort of incident. Even so, Sergio Perez' FP1 crash at turn 8 was without doubt the most spectacular.

Perez went into the tight corner with too much speed and the car slid into the outside barrier. The impact was so violent that the rear right tyre of the Force India was entirely ripped off the main bodywork despite safety tethers.

"This morning was all about trying to find the limits, and I think we did!" he said. "It was good it happened today rather than tomorrow."

The accident happened late in the first practice session. Even though there was heavy right-side damage to the VJM10, the Force India pit crew were still able to get Perez out at the start of FP2.

"I want to thank my mechanics and the whole team for fixing the car so quickly," he acknowledged. "They are some of the best guys in the pit lane and they showed exactly why."

Force India's deputy team principal endorsed Perez' praise.

"It was not the most straightforward of Fridays, with Sergio’s unfortunate crash during the first practice session," he said. "The crew did a truly fantastic job to replace all the broken components and get the car out for the start of FP2, which allowed us to complete a full programme this afternoon."

Despite running only 16 laps before the accident, Perez finished FP1 fourth-fastest. He slipped to seventh in the second session.

• Verstappen tops FP2 but ends the day in the barrier

"It was a bit of a messy day," the driver explained. "Not just with what happened in FP1. Also because of all the yellow and red flags breaking the flow of the sessions.

"I still think we are in a good position," he added. "Tonight we will need to work out the best set-up: I feel we have a good potential for the weekend, we just have to put it all together when it matters.”

Perez' team mate Esteban Ocon also had a number of run-offs and spins during the day. However he avoided any major crashes and survived more or less unscathed from his first experience of the Baku City Circuit.

"It was my first time around this circuit, so the priority was to keep out of trouble," he agreed. "It’s a narrow circuit. It’s very easy to brake a bit too late, which is why there were so many yellow flags.

"I’m pretty happy about today. We had good pace in the car and I felt quite comfortable right from the start.

"I feel we couldn’t really show our speed because of all the yellow flags and the traffic I found on my quick laps, but it doesn’t matter. The important days for this weekend are yet to come."

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