Sergio Perez is keen to get his hands on Racing Point’s most recent upgrades after finishing fourth in the Russian Grand Prix.
The Mexican led the charge for the Silverstone-based outfit all weekend in Sochi and was left as the sole ‘pink panther’ after teammate Lance Stroll was taken out by Charles Leclerc on the opening lap.
But the former Russian GP podium sitter was more than up to the task as Perez recovered from a poor start, including making a great move on Daniel Ricciardo at Turn 4, to finish behind the top three.
“Apart from the start, everything was good,” he said. “That [the right] side of the grid was totally no grip at all.
“As soon as I released the clutch, I went straight into wheel spin, I lost the position to the two Renaults.
“Luckily, I think we did a very good management on that soft tyre on the first stint and that basically made our race.
“We were very close to Ricciardo – one-tenth slower or faster, we were more or less there.”
By running longer, Perez was able to jump the other Renault of Esteban Ocon, leaving the pathway clear to ease to P4.
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But having been unable to keep pace with Max Verstappen or the Mercedes’ ahead, Checo is now eager to get the upgrade that only Stroll has had for the past two races.
“Definitely I think we did a good step; the team is working really hard to try and get my car [fitted with the upgrades] for the Nurburgring,” he confirmed.
“When you see this is the maximum we can do and we finish 30 seconds from Bottas, if we are able to find a half a second, we can be in the mix for the podium.”
