Sergio Perez was left frustrated following the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, as the Mexican blamed traffic for his disappointing 13th place finish.
Starting inside the top ten, both Perez and teammate Nico Hulkenberg started the race on the soft compound tyre, looking to extend the opening stint and complete a one-stop race.
Following a poor start, Perez found himself in traffic throughout the afternoon. Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button caused problems for him, which were only compounded by the accelerated tyre degradation suffered as a result of following the McLaren duo.
“It’s a real shame to finish outside of the points,” Perez acknowledged. “I spent my first stint behind Alonso, who was on a faster compound, and being stuck in the dirty air destroyed my tyres.”
The timing of the red flag, deployed as a result of Alonso’s dramatic accident, nullified Force India’s aggressive strategy and left Sergio at the foot of the fiercely competitive midfield dice.
“Unfortunately, there was a very similar situation after the restart because I was passed by Jenson Button, who was on supersoft tyres, and that cost me a lot of time.
“It’s not an ideal start of the season for me, especially after the good work we had done in qualifying yesterday, but we have to keep looking ahead and continue working hard.”
Force India are looking to build upon their best season to date in 2015, targeting fourth place in the constructors’ championship this season. With Perez finishing outside the points and Hulkenberg seventh, the team leave Melbourne sixth in the standings.
