Sergio Perez believes Racing Point can still target the front of the midfield despite a steady start to 2019.

Having sat 'best of the rest' in 2016 and 2017, the Silverstone outfit slipped back to seventh last year as a result of the mid-season buyout by Lawrence Stroll.

The disruption also led to a troubled start developing this year's car although Perez and teammate Lance Stroll have both scored points with one each in the top 10 at the opening two races.

“I think the upgrade that we brought to the start of the season, we didn’t have enough time to test or to work on it,” the Mexican said on Thursday.

“I think that’s put us on the back foot at the moment in the midfield group. We scored points in Melbourne and now in Bahrain, but at the moment, we are not fast enough, we are not where we want to be.”

Also Read:

• Perez hoping Racing Point only improve after Bahrain struggle
• Racing Point pleased with 'different' Stroll/Perez partnership

Racing Point did struggle all weekend in the desert and Perez's point only came courtesy of Renault's double engine failure in the closing stages.

However, having always known 2019 would be a building year for the squad, and with a strong history of making gains during the season, the 29-year-old remains optimistic. 

“I think we’ve proven in the past that it’s a very long season,” said Perez.

“It doesn’t matter where you are now, it’s where you get to in Abu Dhabi.

“I think we are understanding our issues, we have a lot of work to do and I’m pretty confident that we’re going to meet our targets for this season.”