Perez says shock Sakhir GP victory was on merit
Sergio Perez feels his shock maiden Formula 1 victory in Sunday's Sakhir Grand Prix came on merit after capitalising on Mercedes' errors to win the race for Racing Point.
Perez ran last at the end of the opening lap after being hit by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at Turn 4, but was able to fight his way back up the order for Racing Point.
Perez sat third before the safety car was deployed after Williams' Jack Aitken hit the wall and left his front wing at the final corner, prompting Mercedes to try and pit both of its cars.
But a tyre mix-up saw it send George Russell - who had led the race up to the safety car - out on a mixed set of tyres, and then fail to change Valtteri Bottas's tyres in a lengthy pitstop.
It catapulted Perez into the lead for Racing Point for the restart with 19 laps to go, but the Mexican looked set to come under pressure from the recovering Russell in the closing stages.
A puncture caused Russell to drop down the order once again as he pitted for a fourth time, leaving Perez to cruise home ahead of Renault's Esteban Ocon and Racing Point teammate Lance Stroll.
It marked Perez's first win since the 2010 GP2 Feature Race in Abu Dhabi, and marks a new record for the most number of F1 starts before a maiden victory, coming at the 190th attempt.
"I'm speechless," Perez said. "I hope I'm not dreaming, because I've dreamt for so many years of being in this moment, 10 years it took me - incredible," said Perez.
"I don't know what to say. After the first lap, the race was again gone, same as last weekend. But it was about not giving up, recovering, going through it, just making the best we possibly could.
"This season the luck hasn't been with us this year but we finally got it.
"I think we won today on merit. The Mercedes had some issues, but I think in the end my pace was strong enough to hold George, who did a fantastic race today."
Perez revealed that an error after his first lap pitstop left him struggling with a tyre vibration, only for his car to come alive after another stop, allowing him to pick off Ocon and Stroll shortly before the second safety car period.
"I made a big mistake during the safety car, I locked up my front left tyre badly," Perez explained.
"So during my first stint, I had so much vibration. But as soon as I recovered in the second stint, I told my team this car felt just like a limousine, so easy without the vibrations.
"We had tremendous pace. And then I think we read really well the race throughout the weekend. We came here thinking it was going to be a two-stop, but after my long run on Friday, we knew what we had to do today."
The victory comes in Perez's penultimate appearance for Racing Point ahead of his exit at the end of the year.
The Mexican is currently without a drive for 2021, and has already said he will take a sabbatical before returning in 2022 if he does not land the seat at Red Bull.
Asked if the win strengthened his resolve over his plans for next year, Perez said: "It just gives me a more peace with myself, to be honest. What happens is not so much in my hands at the moment. But I know I want to keep going.
"So if I'm not in the grid next year, I will be back in 2022."
Sakhir GP: Perez takes shock win after Mercedes debacle
Stroll thinks pit exit error cost him Sakhir GP win
How getting sacked from Benetton made Mercedes' Allison
He’s had a hand in world championship-winning Formula 1 cars for Benetton, Renault and Mercedes, and was also a cog in the Schumacher-Ferrari axis. Having recently ‘moved upstairs’ as Mercedes chief technical officer, James Allison tells Stuart Codling about his career path and why being axed by Benetton was one of the best things that ever happened to him.
The remarkable qualities that propelled Kubica’s F1 comeback
It’s easy to look at Robert Kubica’s second Formula 1 career and feel a sense of sadness that he didn’t reach the heights for which he seemed destined. But as Ben Anderson discovered, performance and results are almost meaningless in this context – something more fundamental and incredible happened…
The humbling changes Ricciardo made to deliver for McLaren
From being lapped by his own teammate in Monaco to winning at Monza, it’s been a tumultuous first season at McLaren for Daniel Ricciardo. But, as he tells STUART CODLING, there’s more to the story of his turnaround than having a lovely summer holiday during Formula 1's summer break...
The potential benefits of losing the F1 constructors' title
As the battle continues to rage over the F1 2021 drivers' championship, teams up and down the grid are turning their attentions to the prize money attributed to each position in the constructors' standings. But F1's sliding scale rules governing wind tunnel and CFD use will soften the blow for those who miss out on the top places
The invisible enemy that's made Hamilton's title charge tougher
After winning his past few Formula 1 titles as a canter, Lewis Hamilton currently trails Max Verstappen by eight points heading into the final double-header of 2021. Although Red Bull has been his biggest on-track challenge, Hamilton feels that he has just as much to grapple with away from the circuit
Why F1's inconvenient penalties have to stay
OPINION: Quibbles over the length of time taken by Formula 1's stewards over decisions are entirely valid. But however inconvenient it is, there can be no questioning the importance of having clearly defined rules that everyone understands and can stick to. Recent events have shown that ambiguity could have big consequences
The mistakes Red Bull cannot afford to repeat in F1 2021's title fight climax
OPINION: Red Bull has had Formula 1’s fastest package for most of 2021, but in several of the title run-in events it has wasted the RB16B’s potential. It cannot afford to do so again with Lewis Hamilton motoring back towards Max Verstappen in the drivers’ standings with two rounds remaining
Qatar Grand Prix driver ratings
Qatar was a virtual unknown for most as Formula 1 made its inaugural visit to the Gulf state, and tyre management quickly emerged as an even more critical factor than normal. Perhaps then it should come as no surprise that two of the championship's elder statesmen produced standout drives