Sergio Perez was happy with his seventh place at the Russian Grand Prix, despite the poor timing of the second safety car period.

The Racing Point driver had a disappointing qualifying session, having arrived in Russia expecting a strong performance, and started the race from 12th, but he fought his way through the field to cross the line just 2.9s behind the McLaren of Carlos Sainz Jr.

“I think it’s been one of my greatest races that I can remember.” commented Perez after the race.

“We had a good start and great management throughout the stints, knowing when to fight and when to hold back, and that made a huge difference.”

The safety car was sent out on to the track on lap 29 after George Russell’s crash, and a number of cars pitted to take advantage of the restricted speeds.

But whilst the timing didn’t work out for Perez at the time, he was able to fight back passed the Haas of Magnussen to secure seventh.

“We were unlucky with the timing of the Safety Car, but we recovered and we took every single opportunity” added Perez.

“Since the summer break we’ve been on it and we’ve been scoring some important points.

Racing Point Team Principal, Otmar Szafnauer was also happy that his team was able to score a decent haul of points, although he was disappointed that Lance Stroll missed out on a points finish, with the Canadian crossing the line in 11th.

“We raced well today, making the most of the race circumstances, and splitting the tyre strategies across the cars.” commented Szafnauer.

“Strong opening laps from Sergio and Lance 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.

“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.”