Sergio Perez was thrilled after scoring Racing Point’s third Top-7 finish in four races at the Russian Grand Prix.
The Mexican capitalised on first-lap incidents and the later downfall of Nico Hulkenberg to put a dash of pink between the papaya orange MCL34’s.
But his pace in the upgraded Racing Point also meant his result was about more than luck.
“I’m very pleased with how we maximised the result,” Perez said via the official F1 website.
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“I think it has been one of my best races. Great start, great management throughout the stint – knowing when to fight and when not – we were just perfect.
“I just doubt that we could have done any better. We were very unlucky with the Safety Car out there but still, we managed to get a great result and a lot of points.”
It’s a result that moves the Silverstone-based outfit to within three points of Toro Rosso in the Constructors’ standings, but that gap could have been less had teammate Lance Stroll had a little more luck.
“We raced well, making the most of the race circumstances and splitting the tyre strategies across the cars,” team boss Otmar Szafnauer said.
“Strong opening laps from Sergio and Lance [Stroll] helped our cause, but the mid-race Safety Car kept the pack close together and allowed some of our competitors to make a second stop for fresher tyres – Hulkenberg, for example, and the timing was not ideal for either car, especially Lance.
“We showed good pace over the final 20 laps with Sergio overtaking Magnussen for seventh place and Lance battling with Norris and Hulkenberg over the final points.
“It’s a shame to miss out on getting both cars in the points, but given how the race unfolded, we welcome the additional six championship points.”