Sergio Perez celebrates with his trophy after an excellent driver to second place at the Malaysian Grand Prix - Photo Credit: Sauber Motorsport AG
Sergio Perez has said that he is ‘very much’ looking forward to the Chinese Grand Prix after his impressive second-place finish in Malaysia two weeks ago.
The Mexican received a warm welcome when he headed back to Guadalajara – his home town – after his sucess in Kuala Lumpur, but is now turned his focus to next weekend’s race in Shanghai.
“I am very much looking forward to the Chinese Grand Prix,” said the 22-year-old. “I enjoyed the short break after the race in Malaysia, although, especially in the beginning, it was a busy time back in Mexico.
“The reception in Guadalajara was absolutely great and I really loved seeing my family and friends at home. However, I'm very much focused on thinking about further improvements and continued with my training programme. We all have to keep our heads down and work hard. Our car can be competitive and we have to make the most of it.
“Last year initially I had a good race in Shanghai, but then I had contact with some other cars towards the end of the Grand Prix and was penalised. The high speed corners of the track should suit our car. I especially like turn one – it is a long and pretty difficult bend. The long straight will not be the easiest part for us, but, again, we have to maximise our potential.”
Pérez’s Sauber team-mate Kamui Kobayashi failed to finish at the last race in Sepang, but the sixth place he picked-up at the opening event in Australia means that the team currently sit fourth in the Constructors’ Championship with 30 points to their name already.
“I always have a good feeling for [the Chinese] Grand Prix,” said Kobayashi. “I really like the circuit near Shanghai because I enjoy its high speed corners very much, and as well as that they should suit our car.
“Last year the race was great fun and I scored a point after having started 13th. The track temperatures might be lower than recently in Malaysia, as I expect them to be more like they were in Melbourne, and this also should be better for us and the tyres, but we have to see how it is once we are there.
“In any case I will go there with a positive approach and after the small break it will be interesting to see who brings what updates for the cars.”
