Perez pleased to 'minimise' on Sunday damage from Saturday

©RedBull

Sergio Perez says he was pleased to offset in Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix, which he finished fourth hot on the heels of McLaren's Lando Norris, the struggles he encountered in qualifying the day before.

Perez suffered a messy Q3 on Saturday, hampered by cooler temperatures and traffic that prevented him from putting a good lap together in the final segment of qualifying.

The Mexican's P9 spot on the grid was upgraded to P8 when Ferrari's Charles Leclerc failed to start the race.

But Perez's main benefit on Sunday was delivered by a strategy call from the Red Bull pitwall that saw him pit later than his midfield rivals for a set of hard tyres and overcut Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel, AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.

©RedBull

Having established himself in fourth place, Perez reeled in Norris and came within a second of the McLaren charger but ultimately felt content with P4.

"I’m pleased with the result today," said Perez, who added 12 points to Max Verstappen's 25, enabling Red Bull to seize the lead in the Constructors' standings.

"I think for the team, it’s a good one especially, a good day. We managed to minimise the damage from Saturday… but it’s only the fifth race of the season."

Read also: Verstappen 'pretty much in control' on way to 'special' win

While satisfied with his productive day, Perez admitted that his comfort level with Red Bull's RB16B is still not where it needs to be in qualifying trim.

"On Sunday yes," he said. "On Saturday I’m still needing the time. This weekend in particular I think we took a wrong direction.

"We didn’t read the car as good as Max, but hopefully in the coming races we can do another step.

"We have to work on that Saturday, try to find a better direction on the car and we’re going to be very competitive," added Perez.

"We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us but I think once I’m comfortable with the car, we’re going to see very big steps and a lot of points for the team."

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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.