Melbourne, March 14 (IANS): Formula 1 racer Sergio Perez expects his Force India car to be among the points at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix that will vroom off at Albert Park this weekend.

"No matter how many laps you do in testing, you never really know where you are compared to the other teams. So I don't want to say too much. As a team we feel quite happy with what we achieved in Barcelona and that's the main thing," said Perez on Monday.

"The car has been reliable and we've made a good step forward compared to last year. We can go racing in Melbourne knowing that points are achievable."

The Mexican driver, who finished a career-best ninth in the drivers' standings last year, said he missed racing during the winter break and is more than ready to get going at the 5.3 km circuit this weekend.

"It feels great to be going racing again. Winter has been long and I have been missing the atmosphere you get from a race weekend. Melbourne is a great way to start the year and it's one of my favourite races. Everyone is very friendly and relaxed and I always enjoy those races close to a big city," said the 26-year-old.

"I'm a big fan of street tracks and Albert Park is a real challenge. You can't afford to be rusty because it's a circuit that doesn't forgive your mistakes. Getting a perfect lap together is quite difficult because it's quite stop-start. You need to be good on your brakes and strong out of the traction zones. Overtaking is always difficult - even though there are some good spots like turns three and 13."