Sergio Perez hailed his strategy which allowed him to come through the field from his lowly grid position of 12th, to finish second ahead of Fernando Alonso.
The Sauber driver went with an unusual strategy which saw him stay out on the hard tyre until lap 30, far longer than those around him. However it paid of when he switched to the medium compound as he gained over a second per lap on the leaders.
“It was a great race for me, for my team,” he said during the podium interviews. “It’s unbelievable to have a podium at Monza with all of these people, it’s really special.
“I went for the Prime [tyres], stopped very late and then went for fresh tyres at the end, so it’s unbelievable to be here.
“It was really enjoyable. One of those races where you have the pace and are the one attacking.”
After finishing ahead of both Ferraris, speculation that he may be off to the Italian outfit continues to mount, though Perez says he is unsure whether this result will sway their opinion.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I am fighting for my team and I will always fight for the team I am in, I will always give my maximum.
“I will always fight, if it is against Fernando [Alonso] or Lewis [Hamilton], to give my all and every driver would do the same.”