Pérez happy post-Japan: "Best we could realistically do"

Force India driver Sergio Pérez was happy with his performance in Japan as the Mexican finished best of the rest in P7 for his team, saying it was the best he could realistically do at Suzuka.

There was ground to make up for Pérez and for his teammate Esteban Ocon, as they had multiple midfield cars qualify in front of them. However, the failing strategy of Toro Rosso cost them big-time, allowing Pérez to move a few places up the field as the race unfolded.

Eventually finishing ahead of Haas F1's Romain Grosjean with a nice overtake, the Mexican can look back on a very good weekend, as he scored six points for Force India in the midfield battle, moving up to a shared seventh place in the drivers' championship together with Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen. Ocon managed to finish eighth, meaning he scored two points as well.

“Today we had a good result: the best I could realistically hope to achieve,” Pérez said on F1 Paddock Pass.

“After yesterday’s poor qualifying we made up a lot of positions and I feel we really got the maximum from the race.

“Our pace was strong and the team delivered a great strategy."

He then proceeded to explain what that strategy was exactly.

“We knew we had to be aggressive to beat the Haas and we nearly managed to undercut Grosjean at the pit-stop, but I lost a bit of time battling with Leclerc and I just fell short.

“At the VSC restart I managed to get really close to Grosjean and when I saw an opportunity I went for it.”