Perez frustrated by lack of recognition

The Mexican was instrumental in helping Force India secure fourth place in the constructors' championship this year, finishing a strong seventh in the standings after two podium finishes.

Perez will stay on at Force India in 2017, and the 26-year-old believes some people do not give him enough credit for his achievements.

"It's complicated, sometimes frustrating. You give it all, you have excellent results and a lot of the time you don't get the credit you deserve," Perez told Motorsport.com.

"To get the results I achieved this year has been incredible and even then there are people who question my potential. I hope the opportunity [to drive for a top team] comes soon.

"I feel very ready [for a top team]. When I arrived in McLaren [in 2013] I didn't have the experience I have today. Without a doubt I'm at the best moment to be in a top team."

Perez has no doubt that this year has been his best in Formula 1 to date, a fact he reckons is backed by a string of 10 consecutive finishes in the points.

"I think it was my best season without a doubt, simply based on the results that I achieved and the consistency level that I kept all year long," he added. "It's not easy at all to score points in 10 consecutive races.

"In the positions that we usually start the races from is very easy to have incidents and we didn't have the level to be in the points, so achieving that shows that it was my best year."

Fears of "nightmare" season unfounded

Force India had a slow start to the 2016 season before it introduced a major aero upgrade in time for the Spanish Grand Prix.

Although the package did not work straight away, it eventually allowed the team to beat its direct rivals and secure its best ever finish in the constructors' standings.

Perez, however, admitted he had feared a "nightmare" season before the team picked up the pace.

"At the start I thought the season could be a nightmare. We were very far," he said. "I remember when we introduced the new aero package in Barcelona, it was a disaster.

"Williams was eight tenths per lap quicker, Toro Rosso half a second. It wasn't easy, but little by little we improved until we became the fourth-best team."

Interview by Luis Ramirez