Sauber says no reason to feel unhappy despite missing out on maiden win

Perez was the star of the Sepang race as he drove strongly throughout the rain-affected event, hunting down eventual race winner Alonso for much of the afternoon.

But although he managed to close right in on Alonso near the end, a small error as he ran wide over the kerbs handed his Ferrari rival enough of a buffer to deliver a surprise victory for the Italian team.

Sauber CEO Monisha Kaltenborn was not upset though, claiming that second place - the team's best result as a non-manufacturer entry - was enough to be delighted with.

"I am happy with what we have achieved," she explained. "It is a very big achievement for the team, and gives us the confidence and certainty that the way we are going means we are going upwards slowly and steadily.

"I think in such a moment, you don't want to think about what you could have had or what you could have got. We are happy with what we have, and let's see what else will come."

Speaking about her reaction to seeing a Sauber battling for the victory, she added: "It is a fantastic moment. We started off into the race weekend with a few issues, and the team worked extremely hard because we are still confident about our car.

"Sergio gave us excellent performance in the race, the team prepared everything well and this was a fantastic race."