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Perez wants Monaco podium to dispel McLaren memories

Three years after his brief stint as a McLaren driver, Sergio Perez says he would be ready to move into a top team once again after notching up a sixth career podium at the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Mexican driver produced a remarkable drive in wet-to-dry conditions around the Principality to haul his Force India from seventh on the grid to third at the chequered flag, marking his third podium with the Silverstone-based outfit.

A strategy savvy performance similar to the manner of his previous podiums - three of which also occurred at Sauber in 2012 -, Perez says he is hoping his efforts at Force India are finally changing perceptions three years on from his notoriously unhappy tenure with the McLaren team in 2013, where he struggled to impress and was dropped after just one campaign.

"I had a really tough time at McLaren and it seems that this is what everyone remembers, my time at McLaren but no one remembers my time at Sauber, my time at Force India," he said. "All I can do is keep doing my job, keep doing as well as I can, keep improving as a driver.

Indeed, Perez believes he has developed into a more complete driver that should make him tempting to top teams should the opportunity become available.

"I think in the last years I have improved a lot. I'm a more complete driver in all aspects, qualifying, race, race pace, better experience. So if the opportunity ever comes, I will be ready for it and I'm up for it. If not, all I can keep doing is doing my job."

Zdroj: crash.net