Sergio Perez is happy to bounce back to third on the podium after a 'difficult' Austrian Grand Prix weekend. On Thursday he was absent from the circuit with an illness, then on Friday he was knocked out of qualifying early due to a track limits penalty. The Red Bull driver managed to recover from P15 on the grid owing to a three-stop strategy, which enabled him to get ahead of the midfield early on and challenge for the top five. "It's been a very difficult weekend for me personally, physically," he told media. "I have been really, really weak. I was sick on Thursday, so it hasn't been an easy weekend; high fevers, no sleep during the weekend." The Mexican was happy to turn around his weekend after a difficult start, admitting that he has been through a "rough patch" in the last few races. He added: "Great recovery from the team and a fantastic strategy, we had a great race. "It's been a bit of a rough patch for me, so now hopefully we are back and we can keep that consistency now."
Perez: Ferrari strong, especially in the low speed corners
In the closing stages he was in a battle with Carlos Sainz which cost him time to Charles Leclerc for P2. The pair battled for third, with Sainz utilising the DRS out of Turn 3 to defend on a couple of occasions. Perez got a better exit after a few attempts and managed to pass for the position, although made an observation about his rival. He explained: "It was very hard, always a pleasure to race them. They're very strong, especially in the low speed they were having very good traction. But it's a good comeback."
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