"We would have to do some compromises for quali" - Sergio Perez barely misses out on pole position for 2023 F1 Bahrain GP

Sergio Perez will start the 2023 Bahrain GP in P2, behind his teammate and two-time world champion Max Verstappen. The Mexican came close to beating his teammate but missed out by a narrow margin towards the end of Q3.

Rather ominously for their rivals, Red Bull's Perez claimed that the team prioritized a race setup for Sunday instead of putting all their resources into qualifying.

The Mexican missed out on pole position by just over a 10th of a second, putting him in a promising place for times to come. Meanwhile, third-place finisher Charles Leclerc withdrew from putting in a final lap at the end of Q3 in a bid to save tires for Sunday's main race.

The Monegasque hopes to put pressure on the Red Bull team with the help of fresher tires, effectively giving him the upper hand over his 2022 rivals.

Speaking to David Coulthard in Parce Ferme, Sergio Perez said of his qualifying performance:

"If anything, we prepared much more to do the race, you know? We have more of a Sunday race car at the moment, underneath us. We knew we would have to do some compromises for quali which we were doing. They were not ideal but hopefully it plays out and we have a very strong race car."

RB19 developed to suit both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez

According to Dr Helmut Marko, the team's advisor, Red Bull's latest car, the RB19, has been designed to cater to the driving styles of both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.

The RB19 was unveiled during pre-season testing in Bahrain and seems to be continuing the impressive legacy of its predecessor, which secured 17 victories in 2022.

Max Verstappen was the fastest driver on the first day of testing. Sergio Perez was the fastest driver of the entire session with his lap of 1:30.305 on the final day, showing that both drivers appear to be comfortable in the cockpit of the RB19.

The two drivers were also separated by only a 10th of a second at the end of qualifying at the 2023 Bahrain GP. This put them in a tight battle from the very start of the season.

In an interview with Sky Sports Germany, Helmut Marko said of the car's development:

"We had a car last year that 'Checo' (Sergio Perez) did very well with at the beginning, and after it was developed further, Max (Verstappen) had been happier and happier. The difference is Max loves a strong front end, really biting. Checo is a little different. He wants a more docile car. We seem to have found a solution here now that lets both drivers play out their qualities."

With the 2023 F1 season now officially underway, it will be interesting to see which of the two drivers comes out on top by the end of the year.