Perez delighted with first F1 points

The Mexican driver had finished in a point-scoring position in his debut race in Australia, but was later disqualified for a technical infringement.

On Sunday, however, the rookie got his first points after what he admitted was a rough race.

"It was a tough race today and a hard fight for points," said Perez. "I'm really happy we made it. My first points in Formula 1 are obviously something special for me, and it is good for the team that Kamui also scored.

"The team had a very good race strategy and did a perfect job at the pit stops. I feel that for me today is a turning point in this season. We will continue well and score more points."

Team-mate Kamui Kobayashi also finished in the points despite having to pit for new tyres after a puncture on the opening lap.

"I lost a lot of time on lap one today," said Kobayashi, who finished in 10th. "After the start I was pushed into the gravel and then another car touched me, which resulted in a left rear puncture.

"I had to pit and was relegated to last, which of course cost us a very good set of the soft tyres. I had to do quite a long stint on the harder tyres, which was not easy, but overall the race pace was okay. I'm happy to have scored for the fourth time in a row, and think we are going in the right direction."