A smile couldn't be kept from Sergio Perez's face after the Mexican led the midfield at his home race on Sunday.
The Racing Point driver capitalised on having free tyre choice starting 11th to make early moves on both Toro Rosso's, before easing ahead of the two McLarens as their race unravelled, leaving to take seventh.
“This feels like a victory for us,” Perez told the official F1 website after matching his best finish in Mexico City. “This is a great day for me and my team.
“I think the race was just about perfect and I want to congratulate the entire team for all their hard work delivering this result.
“It’s extra special to score good points in my home race – in front of the fans who have given me so much support this week.”
The final laps were particularly nervy for Perez though, as a charging Daniel Ricciardo made a failed lunge into Turn 1 to take the place away, leaving Checo to hold on.
“The race was so intense, especially the battle against Daniel at the end, when he was on fresher tyres and putting big pressure on me," he added.
“I had to concentrate so hard and push right until the end.
“I told him after the race that he doesn’t have that Red Bull anymore to do that kind of manoeuvre," the 29-year-old joked.
"He was quite on the limit, but I braked quite late. It was good that I gave him some room so we avoided contact."
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The battle between Racing Point and Renault is quite personal too after the Silverstone-based squad launched the protest which saw the latter excluded from Japan.
“I’m very satisfied with our performance and the points we scored today are important for the fight in the teams’ championship," Perez added.
Indeed Racing Point now sits only nine points behind Renault in the fight for fifth with three races to go.
