Sergio Pérez felt positive about the result of the Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday, with the Racing Point F1 Team racer able to secure four points thanks to an eighth-place finish.
The Mexican had started twelfth after missing out on a Q3 appearance on Saturday but made a super start to run inside the top ten, with Pérez able to bring home the car in eighth for his second points finish of 2019, finishing just behind Renault F1 Team’s Daniel Ricciardo.
“I’m very happy to score four points today,” said Pérez. “The start was fantastic: I saw a gap, went for it and it paid off.
“Our race pace was good: we were able to maintain the pace and manage the tyres well.”
Pérez remained firm in the second half of the race despite pressure from behind from Kimi Räikkönen, with the Mexican happy to bring home the car inside the top ten despite knowing coming into the weekend it was never going to be a track suited to their RP19.
“It wasn’t an easy race, though, because I was under pressure from Kimi for most of the second stint, which made it more difficult to look after the tyres and keep up the pace,” added the Mexican. “It was the same with Daniel [Ricciardo] ahead of me – I think he was working hard to manage his tyres because every time I got close to him he found the pace to pull away again.
“This was never going to be our strongest track so it’s important to take opportunities such as today and keep scoring points. I think we have the potential to be stronger at the next race in Baku.”
