Sauber driver Sergio Perez said that he was "very happy" to have secured a points finish at the Japanese Grand Prix, after coming through from 17th on the grid to take 8th despite suffering from flu throughout the weekend.
Perez only qualified 17th for the race at Suzuka, after car issues prevented him from setting a lap during the second part of qualifying.But the Mexican driver came through to take points with 8th place, despite suffering from flu.
And after the race, Perez pronounced himself as being happy with his efforts, after benefiting from the mid-race safety car and a two-stop strategy.
"I am very happy for the team to have scored some points here in Japan, especially after we had that technical problem yesterday in qualifying and I had to start 17th," Perez smiled after the race.
"Today the strategy with the tyres worked out very well for me, and the team did a very good job on this. Also the car's performance was good. I pushed very hard, and gave my maximum today."
He added: "Physically it was very hard for me because I am suffering from flu, so I'm totally happy that I brought the car home in a position good enough to score points."
Meanwhile, his team mate Kamui Kobayashi suffered a difficult race in front of his home fans, despite qualifying in 7th place.
The Japanese driver admitted that an issue with his anti-stall system off the line, which saw him drop to 12th place off the line and endure a difficult race afterwards.
"At the start when I released the clutch the car suddenly was in anti-stall mode, and that was why I lost five positions straight away," he lamented.
"I tried to fight other cars then but overtaking wasn't as easy as it was here last year."
He added: "I did my second stop when the safety car was out, we changed from the soft to the medium compound and with those tyres I then had to go to the end of the race - 29 laps.
"In the end they were just so bad that I couldn't defend my position anymore."
But despite his poor result, he said that he was still proud of the fans of his home race, after the earthquake and tsunami that the country suffered earlier in the year.
"I am very proud of all the Japanese fans who are so excited about Formula One," he smiled, "They are a great crowd and for me it was a very emotional day."
Team boss Peter Sauber added: "Everybody in the team hoped Kamui could score a good result in his home Grand Prix. He would have deserved that after his strong qualifying performance, but then things went wrong at the start.
"Sergio drove a brilliant race. Starting from 17th and finishing eighth says it all. He was aggressive and consistent at the same time.
"His result also proves that we made a clear step forward with our car, which is important for the upcoming races."
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