Perez secures first P2 since May: 'I really need the summer break'

Sergio Perez started the Belgian Grand Prix from second place ahead of Max Verstappen, but the Dutchman overtook him. The Mexican finished second to add 18 points to his points total. He himself felt he could not do a huge amount about Verstappen's dominance.

"It was a good race for the team. We had a great start and managed to get through Charles, which was one of the targets of today. From then on, I was just doing my own race and Max came through in the second stint pretty fast. There was nothing I could have done there," Perez said after the race at Spa-Francorchamps.

"It’s been a bit of a rough patch, but we overcome and today we managed to score great points for the team. I really need the summer break. It’s been really intense for the last few races. I look forward to it and will come back very strong," the Red Bull driver revealed.

Perez is now well behind in the battle with Verstappen for the world title, but he has enough points ahead of number three in the world championship Fernando Alonso.