Saturday: Pérez makes it to Q3 but not Button at McLaren
Sergio Pérez managed to qualify in Q3 in Abu Dhabi despite a complicated third free practice session; the Mexican believes he might have even done better than his 9th place on the grid. Jenson Button, on the other hand, struggled during the qualifying and failed to make it into Q3.
Sergio Pérez – 18th and 9th [8th on the grid]:
The car seemed good today. If we had found a few extra tenths, we might have been 7th – it was possible. It was important to stay calm after a disappointing free practice 3. I think we made a step forward for the race, especially because we knew the track would change between this afternoon and tonight – we reacted well. Overall, it has been a weekend where we improved with the team, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.
Jenson Button – 6th and 13th [12th on the grid]:
I think we struggled to get the tires working due to cooler temperatures – I had to remove so much rear wing to try and help the car’s balance, but it wasn’t enough. We were at the maximum on the front wing as well. There was nothing else to do with the car to help the front, since we already had little downforce at the rear – as could be seen with our straight-line speed. It’s quite frustrating, because in free practice 3 this afternoon, it seemed promising – 6th fastest – and the car felt really good.
