Sergio Perez has kept his Formula 1 podium finish in Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix after being cleared following a misunderstan🍌ding over his DRS usage.

Perez bou🍷nced back from an early pi♛t stop to rise to third place in the closing stages of a dramatic race at the Baku City Circuit that marked both his own and the team's first podium finish almost two years, clinched with a late pass on Sebastian Vettel.

However, the Mexican driver was called before the stewards along with Williams' Lance Stroll and Ha🔯as' Kevin Magnussen over a possible improper usage of DRS on two occasions during the race, with the system malfunctioning during the 🌊race.

Force India did not expect to receive any penalty, but was left waiting until almost three hours after the race for Perez's podium to be formally confirmed by the stewar𒉰ds.

"The Stewards heard from Sergio Perez, the driver of car 11 and the team representative," the report from the FIA reads. "The Stewards examined DRS activation data. It is apparent that to move to t🎶he “default” setting if the DRS system malfunctions, requires the team to convey to the driver, by radio, a series of steps to adjust various settings.

"In this case, the DRS light came on and as this was the first time the driver had experienced a default operation for the DRS, there was some misunderstanding of the procedure and the driver incor♈rectly activated the system manually.

"The system however, was only activated twice, each time ⛦for a short distance before the driver and team recognised the error. The Stewards are satisfied that no car was overtaken through this incorrect use."

Both Kevin Magnussen and Lance Stroll were als🦹o under investigatio🅠n for the same matter, and were cleared too by the stewards.

Speaking not long after crossing the line, Perez made no secr🅷et of his elation over the result.

"I think today I did the best two laps of my whole career. The last two laps with Sebastian behind, w🌊ith cold tyres, it was so difficult," Perez said.

"I was on the supersoft tyre. I had to keep a very strong rhythm, trying to keep close to Räikkönen, to make sure that Sebastia♔n didn’🐈t get close enough. I’m speechless.

"Up to now we only had one poi🧔nt as a team. It’s definitely a massive motivation for all the boys that are doing a fan𝔍tastic job.

"They did an inc🐬redible job with the stops. With the strategy. What else can I say? A🌜mazing job."