Based on the pace Force India's drivers had shown since the start of the weekend, Sergio Perez solid P5 qualifying performance came as no surprise this afternoon at Spa.
The Mexican put in a series of consistent runs in each segment, ending up just over two tenths behind second-row man Daniel Ricciardo while just edging out team mate Nico Hulkenberg.
"My lap was a good one," said Perez.
"We got as much as we could out of the session: I made a small mistake at the end of my lap and I could have been about a tenth faster, but that’s all we lost.
"Q3 was a bit more difficult with the wind picking up, both my runs were not ideal but even if we had gotten the perfect lap I don't think we could have beaten Ricciardo. I think we are in a really strong position for the race and I am really looking forward to tomorrow. "
REPORT: Rosberg edges out Verstappen and Raikkonen for pole at Spa
Perez is expecting a difficult start to his afternoon tomorrow however, as he will be launching his race on the fragile SuperSoft compound which are scheduled to last only a handful of laps if the weather remains hot.
Checo remains optimistic nevertheless, and resolute on extracting the most of the potential opportunity he believes he enjoys.
"Some of the cars ahead of me are starting on the soft tyre compound, which should be a big advantage for them, but we are still in good shape to get a strong result.
"It's important tomorrow - and the rest of the year - to make sure we maximize the whole potential of the car.
"There will be a variety of strategies at play and I hope we can move forward, enjoy the battles and bring home some points.
"The hot weather is making it really difficult for everyone – you reach a point where you can’t go any further with the tyres.
"Strategy and making the right calls at the right time will be very important: you don’t want to be on the wrong tyres at the start of such a long lap because it’s going to cost you."
While Force India appears to now have a firm upper hand over Williams, Perez believes the team should exclusively focus on itself and not its relative performance compared to its rivals.
"To be honest, we're not really concerned about Williams. We're basically focusing on ourselves and making sure that we maximize every single session. Tomorrow will be an important race for the championship."
Silbermann says ... Spa too hot
Romain Grosjean column: More motivated than ever
Chris Medland's 2016 Belgian Grand Prix preview
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