In a twice disrupted qualifying session, due to crashes for Nicholas Latifi and Mick Schumacher, Perez beat the Ferraris of practice pace-setter Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr to become the first Mexican polesitter in F1 history.
A lap that Perez called "unbelievable" and drew praise from championship leader Leclerc also broke Mark Webber's long-standing record for the most F1 starts before his first pole, with the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix set to be his 215th F1 start.
