Perez agrees with team's decision to keep him behind Ocon

Sergio Perez did not dispute Force India's decision not to let him attack team mate Esteban Ocon in Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix.

The Force India pair brought home another double-points finish in Suzuka, with Ocon edging out his team mate at the checkered flag as they crossed the line sixth and seventh.

The Mexican spent the better part of the afternoon behind his team mate, urging him over the radio to up the pace at one point.

As Perez's impatience grew, he asked if he could have a go at Ocon but was ultimately ordered to stand pat, a decision he agreed with in hindsight.

"I felt I was quicker than Esteban in the second stint and I had an opportunity to overtake him at the final restart, but we followed the team’s instructions," said Perez.

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"We knew this would be the case so it wasn’t a surprise, and swapping us wouldn’t have made a difference in terms of points for the team, so I understand the team’s perspective.

"In the end, Esteban did a great job during the whole weekend."

Perez was happy with his efforts in Japan, but conceded the result was likely the maximum he could have achieved.

"I am very happy for the team with this great result, which was definitely the maximum we could achieve today.

"It was a relatively easy race: we had a strong qualifying session and we had good race pace, so we spent a lot of time on our own.

"The last two races have been really strong for us and I am very pleased with the results we have achieved.

The aftermath of the tragic earthquake which hit Mexico a few weeks ago has been a major preoccupation for Sergio Perez.

The Mexican GP organisers have stepped up their efforts to reassure the F1 community about the race's immediate future, and displayed a prominent message on the Suzuka podium before Sunday's race.

"The ‘Fuerza Mexico’ message on the podium before the race meant a lot to me and I’d like to say ‘thank you’ to everyone in the paddock.," said Perez.

"The support my country has received in the last few weeks has been incredible and I hope we can keep helping, especially as we get ready for the race in Mexico later this month."

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