Perez makes bizarre claim despite latest F1 weekend woe

Sergio Perez has bizarrely declared his São Paulo Grand Prix weekend to be 'one of his strongest' of this F1 season despite only collecting a point. 

Red Bull driver Perez featured in the top 10 in just one session throughout the event at Interlagos - the sprint race where he secured P8 and his solitary point. 

The Mexican qualified for the sprint and the main race in 13th, before spinning on the opening lap of the grand prix at Turn 10.

The Red Bull driver did at least do well to recover to P11, however, he finished the race 51 seconds behind team-mate Max Verstappen, who won from 17th on the grid. 

It marked the 34-year-old's third non-points finish in the past five grands prix, adding further pressure onto his shoulders as speculation continues over whether he will be retained for next season despite possessing a contract. 

Despite that, Perez still took a lot away from the São Paulo GP.

"There are some positives from the weekend, and obviously, Max's victory is very important for the team," remarked Perez. 

"Momentum-wise, it has been a very strong weekend in terms of pace, so there are plenty of positives from that.

"I think it was one of the strongest weekends in terms of pace. We put the car on the track, and straight away, we were very competitive in FP1. 

"It has been a much more competitive weekend, and so hopefully, the momentum gets back to us."