Sergio Perez says Racing Point had to turn it🌊s Formula 1 car “upside-down” 𒉰;to find setup solutions ahead of qualifying for the Portuguese Grand Prix.

Perez will start tomorrow’s race in Portimao from fifth on the grꦰid, while teammate Lanc🐓e Stroll could only manage 12th.

Strong winds and the ne🗹wly re-surfaced track has made it tricky for drivers with a lack of grip b🎀eing reported throughout the duration of the weekend.

Reflecting on qualifℱying fifth, Perez was pleased with the r✱ecovery Racing Point had made since Friday practice.

“In those difficult conditions today it was go🌸od,” Perez said. “A good performance by the team. Yesterday we were so lost, we changed t𝓰he car upside down - the tyre preparation and everything. I think we’ve done a pretty good job to come back, being there. It’s a nice position to start the race.”

Perez believes ensuring the tyres don’t overheat will be a crucial factor in tomorrow’s race after the﷽ troubles teams faced in qualifying in getting them into the right working window.

“Well, I think outside of the Mercedes and the Red Bull, we are all very together, ve🙈ry much in that mix,” Perez added. “As we saw in Nurburgring, we have to be there, to maximise the performance tomorrow, do a good strategy. I think most of the people don’t have information on the long runs🐬 so we don’t know what to expect with these tyres, this track. Still, a lot to play for.

“I think it’s going to be a race of people probably ge💟tting the tyres too hot early on and having to pit probably because I expect a lot of the guys have been aggressive with the re-heating levels, the preparation of the tyres.”