Sergio Perez: My first win will come sooner or later

Sergio Perez has admitted in an interview that he believes his first race win in Formula 1 will come sooner or later, after a stunningly mature drive in last weekends Malaysian Grand Prix. The Mexican got as high as 2nd largely thanks to the rain, and then began reeling in race leader Fernando Alonso at a phenomenal rate.

Unfortunately for Sauber and young Perez, he was unable to take the lead and win what would have been a monumental victory for the Swiss outfit. However, taking 2nd place ahead of the likes of Lewis Hamilton who was unable to catch the Mexican is an achievement in itself.

With Perez being strongly linked to move with Ferrari in place of the ailing Felipe Massa, this type of drive and strong result is more than enough to show Stefano Domenicali what to expect if Perez was ever to become a full-time Ferrari driver. He is currently a member of their Young Drivers’ Programme, and has tested for Ferrari in the past.

Felipe Massa finished the Malaysian Grand Prix 15th, only just on the lead lap. After Ferrari issued the Brazilian driver with a new chassis for the race, frustration amongst the team could well begin to materialize unless Massa can begin scoring consistent points finishes.

Sergio Perez could well be approached by Ferrari sooner rather than later, but would it be the right decision for him to move to the team mid-season if the chance arose? Giancarlo Fisichella was in the same position in 2009, and once he moved from Force India after a great 2nd place in Belgium, the Italian driver struggled to make the Ferrari finish any higher than 9th.

Eventually Fisichella was replaced by Massa once he returned from his horrific accident, a move which Ferrari may well be looking back on in hindsight and maybe wishing they’d either have kept Fisichella or signed a completely new driver.

Either way, Sergio Perez looks set on remaining at Sauber, and is focused on staying realistic after a fairytale race last weekend.

“The target is to keep improving our overall performance and the car.” Said Sergio Perez, after being asked what his next target would be, “We have to push hard and, of course, we have to stay realistic. Although the pace in the race was good we should not forget that this result came after a very special race in extraordinary conditions. Ultimately I always wanted to win races and I strongly believe my first win in Formula One will come sooner or later - in an ideal world it will happen this year.”

The 2012 Sauber C31 has shown it’s ability to conserve tyre wear, something which was always going to be a leading factor during the Malaysian Grand Prix along with the threat of rain. With this the case, could Sauber spark further surprises during what has already been an unpredictable season in F1?

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