Perez: 'Proud to be a part of this team and what we are achieving together'

With a cleverly driven race, Sergio Perez managed to drive himself to the podium in Hungary from ninth place on the grid. Although he was voted Driver of the Day by F1 fans, most attention went to his teammate Max Verstappen. The two-time world champion won at the Hungaroring, giving Red Bull Racing the record for most consecutive wins (12) ever.

Before Perez set his sights on the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix, the Mexican looked back on that historic achievement once more: "It was a great team win in Hungary, it’s incredible to be part of such a historic moment in Formula One. I’m proud to be a part of this team and what we are achieving together. Everyone did an incredible job across the weekend and worked so hard, the reward was the end result."

Perez wants to be right there at Spa

Perez was responsible for two of the 12 wins in the record series. He picked up those wins at the start of the season. After that, Perez had a series of results that did not match the RB19's qualities. "For me Belgium is about taking a step up in performance and being up there from the start of the weekend until the end. The weather will be tricky, as it always is in Spa, and we have the Sprint format to contend with so running could be very limited. I have to keep pushing and, as always, the aim is to deliver the best result possible," Perez said.

According to Martin Brundle, analyst at Sky Sports, the second driver at Red Bull showed in Hungary he could still deliver a top performance. "Perez from a disappointing ninth on the grid would have an impressive drive to the podium which was determined and aggressive in equal measure. It was just the performance he needed for his own confidence as well as his reputation. His overtakes were tough, not with desperation but with total steeliness, and his speed was good," Brundle wrote in his column.

'Perez does what few manage'

The former F1 driver said on Sky Sports during the race that Perez had a 'statement drive'. "He showed that he can just about keep his head in the shadow of Verstappen's speed and results, which few others could do, but he still needs to be bothering the Dutchman's mirrors at the end of the races. But let's not forget his brilliant victories just a few months ago in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan."