Sergio Perez angry at himself over lost Baku F1 front row

The team has been quick throughout the European Grand Prix weekend, and Perez was the only man able to get within a second of Nico Rosberg's polesitting Mercedes in qualifying.

But a crash right at the end of final practice forced a gearbox change and a five-place grid penalty, meaning his front row start becomes a seventh place.

"I'm still angry from the mistake this morning but I'm very happy," said Perez.

"It's a mixed feeling for me.

"The lap we put together in Q3 was very strong. It was a very difficult session for me, after the crash I lost some confidence, but to get it back and get in rhythm again was great.

"On this track it is so easy to make a mistake and damage your car. It happened to me at the worst possible time in FP3.

"With the penalty I'm starting seventh - the team deserves more than this."

Perez had been third fastest on Friday, a position team-mate Nico Hulkenberg repeated on Saturday morning.

"We were expecting to be strong but not that good," Perez admitted.

"The car has worked very well here. We struggled to understand what is making us so competitive.

"The lap has been one of my best in such a difficult place to get 100% out of the car."

Hulkenberg will start only 12th, ruing a spin on his first run and miscommunication over timing on his second outing in Q2.

Perez's penalty elevates Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull onto the front row alongside Rosberg.