WEATHER WARNING: Drivers had to tackle all conditions in the typically British weather seen at Silverstone
WEATHER WARNING: Drivers had to tackle all conditions in the typically British weather seen at Silverstone

Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg’s recent outing at Silverstone was not only notable for their almost simultaneous finish but their record breaking points amassed at the British Grand Prix.

The 14 points they registered for Force India is higher than any previous attempt and shows how far the team has progressed in recent campaigns.

Perez, who is enjoying a great 2016 season, eventually finished the race in sixth spot, with German Hulkenberg just one place behind.

Motor Racing - Formula One World Championship - British Grand Prix - Race Day - Silverstone, EnglandPutting the success down to making the ‘right calls at the right time’ Perez said: “It’s a very good result for the team, with two cars in the points, even if I feel I could have kept fifth place without that spin at turn one.

“When I had that moment I thought my race was over, but I managed to save it. However, I flat-spotted my tyres and that hurt me for the rest of the race in terms of degradation.

“I pushed hard to try and keep Raikkonen behind, and it was only when he passed me that I was able to take it easy and save the tyres.

“We had to do a very long stint on the mediums, which was a bit of a risk as degradation was quite high, but the team made the right calls at the right time and it paid off in the end.”

A disappointed Hulkenberg believes he should have finished further up the field yet was ultimately the victim of bad luck.

“Obviously a good result for the team, but I still feel a bit frustrated with how the race unfolded because things didn’t work in my favour today,” he added.

“I really lost out under the virtual safety car, which allowed a lot of cars to jump me when I had already made the switch to intermediates. Then, I was stuck behind Felipe [Massa] for so many laps, even though I was a lot quicker than him.

There was only a narrow dry line with a lot of standing water offline so it wasn’t easy to make a move.”

He added: “Although I’m not totally happy, I am pleased with the car performance and the fact that we scored good points today.”

Next up for drivers is the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday 24th July – one of only two races from the 2015 calendar which Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton failed to secure podium finishes in.