Sergio Pérez no longer believed in the podium in Sochi

Sergio Pérez scored his first podium of the season at the Russian GP when he was only in fifth place on the last lap, after losing to Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Räikkönen who had tires in better condition. The Mexican was in the front row to take advantage of the clash between the two Finns and thus sign his first podium of the season, his second with Force India after that won at the 2014 Bahrain GP, ​​and the fifth of his career.

“The safety car stop (on lap 12) proved to be very productive as I had the advantage on the track in all the battles for positions”, explained the Force India driver. “With one lap to go, this result seemed impossible since Valtteri and Kimi had overtaken me. I was obviously disappointed but I also knew that I had done my best. I couldn't do anything anymore because my tires had rolled for more than 40 laps. »

Discover the analysis of the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2033 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.