Pérez praises his qualifying lap after narrowly missing out on Stroll, while Bottas suffers an energy deployment issue.
Cadillac F1 remained towards the back of the field in Singapore Grand Prix qualifying, but Sergio Pérez found encouragement in the team’s progress after finishing just two tenths of a second behind Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.
The Mexican driver qualified 20th but will start Sunday’s race from 18th following penalties elsewhere on the grid. Despite Cadillac’s continued struggles to match its rivals, Pérez was pleased with his performance and the team’s efforts to repair his car following his collision with Stroll during the Sprint.
“It was a very strong lap from my side. The team did a really good job getting the car back together, and it was very good,” Pérez said.
“We were closer to the Aston, to Lance, than we initially thought, just two tenths away.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, Pérez believes changing weather conditions could provide an opportunity, although he acknowledged the importance of track position around Marina Bay.
“It would be interesting. Track position is important, so hopefully we can get a good start and see where we go from there.”
Bottas frustrated by energy deployment failure
On the other side of the Cadillac garage, Valtteri Bottas endured a difficult qualifying session after an energy deployment problem prevented him from completing a competitive final lap in Q1.
The Finnish driver finished 21st and will move up to 19th on the starting grid, but believes the technical issue denied him an opportunity to challenge his teammate.
“In the end, I had no chance. I lost all the deployment,” Bottas explained.
“It felt like I was in charging mode rather than qualifying mode, so I only really had my first run. It was a difficult day.”
Despite the disappointment, Bottas found personal motivation ahead of Sunday’s race through his wife, professional cyclist Tiffany Cromwell, who competed in her final professional race earlier in the day.
“I’m inspired by my wife Tiffany. She had her very last professional race today and put in a heroic performance, finishing in the top ten at the World Championships.
“So that inspires me to do well tomorrow.”
With Pérez starting 18th and Bottas 19th, Cadillac will be hoping to capitalise on any opportunities that arise during Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix.
