Nico Hulkenberg crossed the finish line in 8th place In Suzuka, a result which adds to the German's tally as well as to that of Force India as it battles to secure fourth in the Constructors standings.
By his own admittance, Hulkenberg pretty much made the most of the cards he was dealt, leaving Japan with a sense of satisfaction.
"I'm happy generally although 7th was possible today as well," said Hulkenberg.
"Beating my team mate would have been possible as well, but I paid a little bit the price for not ideal qualifying.
"I had a really good start but after, just that little bit more traffic, tyres older than his [Perez], that track position was worth a lot for him today."
On lap 21, Hulkenberg executed a great pass around the outside of Valtteri Bottas at the chicane, punctuated with smiles over the radio and a cheeky "See you later!". It was good move and he knew it.
"Yeah, I was a bit annoyed there because I should have had him already the lap before, but I didn't have a good enough exit. That was the highlight of my race!"
While Hulkenberg was obviously more than happy to help Force India increase its lead over Williams, the German insisted that the chase for fourth was still very much on.
"There are still four races to go, and every point will count."
REPORT: Rosberg wins in Japan as Hamilton fights back to third
Breakfast with ... Tetsuo Tsugawa
FEATURE: Silbermann says... Snapchat and soap in Suzuka
Chris Medland's 2016 Japanese Grand Prix preview
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Max Verstappen snatched sprint pole in Singapore with a stunning final lap, edging George Russell…
Lewis Hamilton has admitted he made the wrong call on Ferrari’s run plan for Sprint…
Isack Hadjar was left searching for answers after a miserable Sprint Qualifying session in Singapore,…
Kimi Antonelli has admitted he is struggling to make sense of Mercedes’ latest W17 upgrade…
The FIA has admitted that a blunder in Race Control compromised several drivers during the…
Max Verstappen produced a blistering final lap to snatch pole for Saturday's Sprint event at…