Perez troubled by midfield pecking order

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Force India succeeded in placing both its drivers in the points in Australia but the result was achieved on strategy rather than performance says Sergio Perez.

Perez trailed Felipe Massa on Sunday, finishing seventh but was unable to challenge the Williams driver's race pace, a state of affairs which worries Perez.

"I think Williams is too far ahead at the moment," said the Mexican.

"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.

"I think we came with more than we thought, more than the car's pace deserved. As a team we did a perfect weekend and I'm very pleased with that."

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Indeed, Force India's VJM10 is at the tail end of the field in terms of progress compared with last year's Aussie GO, with only McLaren and Sauber showing a smaller margin of lap time progress since 2016.

Perez says the team will need to improve its car or risk falling further down the ranks.

"I think Melbourne is a track where a driver can make more of a difference," said Perez.

"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. As we've seen in the past Force India normally doesn't have the greatest starts of season.

"This is probably my best start of a season with the team in my four years, so it's quite encouraging.

"There's still a long way to go but at the moment we are not where we finished in Australia."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.