Sergio Perez admitted it was a lonely afternoon at the Sochi Autodrom after the Mexican came away with a sixth place finish, and coupled with seventh for Esteban Ocon, felt it was a great day for the Sahara Force India F1 Team.
Perez felt the strategy calls were perfect on Sunday, and although he was not involved in any close battles on track, it gave him the chance to focus on his own driving and give the team an early boost for their chances in the constructors’ championship.
“Sixth place feels very satisfying and with Esteban in seventh it has been a really positive day for the team,” said Perez. “We’ve consolidated our fourth place in the championship and I’m seventh in the drivers’ championship – which is a tremendous effort from the first four races.
“The race today was not especially exciting for me because I was always on my own in clean air – chasing the cars ahead and pulling away from the cars behind. So there were no on-track battles and I could simply focus on managing my race and bringing home the points.
“The team did a great job with the strategy – waiting until the right moment to pit and not coming in too soon. Once again, we took all the opportunities that were on the table and we can feel very happy tonight.”
