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First win will come sooner or later - Perez

Sergio Perez secured his first podium at the Malaysian Grand Prix © Sutton Images

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Sergio Perez is confident he will go on to win in Formula One after his impressive second-place finish at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Perez scored by far the best result of his career at the weekend and came close to beating race winner Fernando Alonso before a mistake seven laps from the end dropped him out of contention. While he admits the unusual conditions suited his car, Perez is confident he will eventually go one better and take a victory.

"The target is to keep improving our overall performance and the car," he said. "We have to push hard and, of course, we have to stay realistic. Although the pace in the race was good we should not forget that this result came after a very special race in extraordinary conditions. Ultimately I always wanted to win races and I strongly believe my first win in Formula One will come sooner or later - in an ideal world it will happen this year."

He also admitted that he was initially disappointed with the result after coming so close to winning his first race.

"For sure it was a great race and in a way a great feeling. But initially I was a bit disappointed because I thought maybe I could have won it, although nobody knows what in the end would have happened if I had managed to attack Fernando and whether I would have got by him or not. Meanwhile, of course, I realised that having come second is also a great result for us and is a perfect boost for the entire team, which is working very hard. I am happy for everybody in the Sauber F1 Team."

Perez is currently on his way back to his home town of Guadalajara in Mexico to celebrate, but when asked what he is expecting on his return, he said: "I have no idea. Mexicans are completely out of control."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.