Sauber, Sergio Perez: “We got the strategy right and I was able to attack”

Sergio Perez has played down the prospect that with his second place in the Italian Grand Prix he is now closer to taking a seat at Ferrari for the 2013 season.

The Mexican from Sauber is part of the Ferrari Driver Academy and has been indicated several times as a possible replacement for Felipe Massa in the Maranello team for next season.

Perez impressed today in Monza starting from 12th on the grid and finishing second – passing both Ferraris in the final 10 laps.

Asked if he feels his performance has increased his chances of a deal with Ferrari, Perez replied: "I don't know, I'm fighting for my team and I will always give my all for the team I'm in."

Perez opted for a different strategy, starting on the harder Pirellis and then using the medium tire for his second stint.

Great pace on both tires: “It was really fun,” Perez said. “One of those races where you have the pace and can attack”.

“There were crucial moments during the race, especially with my first stint – going for a long run and keeping an acceptable pace wasn't easy at all.”

“I did quite a few laps on those tires and then in the second stint we were able to go on the attack and I was able to get good insights with some drivers.”

“I don't think we had the pace to be anywhere near the front row or anywhere near the top five,” he said. “We lack too much speed on the straights. I didn't have a good qualifying lap yesterday and that's why we qualified outside the top 10. Maybe the top 10 was reachable.”

“The possibility of changing strategy helped us. I think we were one of the few to go with the former and it worked pretty well. I was worried about degradation at first, but it all worked out pretty well.”