Before preseason testing, the team was talking about breaking into the top three, but even before the race in Melbourne, deputy principal Bob Fernley was admitting that aim is probably a little too high.
Though Force India did take double points in Australia, the team was further away from the pace setters than they were this time last year, and Perez believes their position at the front of the midfield looks anything but certain.
“I think Williams is too far ahead at the moment,” he told Autosport. “Toro Rosso was quicker than us. Haas was quicker than us – so to beat them on track with strategy, the team can be very happy with that.”
After race one, Force India lie fifth in the teams’ championship and, with a long season ahead, there’s plenty of time to improve.
But Perez believes the 7th and 10th place he and team-mate Ocon took at Melbourne is better than the car really deserves, as the track allowed them to compensate for lack of car performance.
“I think Melbourne is a track where a driver can make more of a difference,” he said. “It’s very bumpy, a narrow and difficult track so, once we go to a more normal track where the car pace matters more, we are going to struggle more.
“We need the upgrades as soon as possible. We need to work hard on the car.”
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