diff --git a/tools/perf/Makefile.config b/tools/perf/Makefile.config
index 834061e94e7ced23a061c7b80efbd5203b85251c..82c045da6adac23cf8d8be2bf6f8430888887bdd 100644
--- a/tools/perf/Makefile.config
+++ b/tools/perf/Makefile.config
@@ -223,14 +223,17 @@ endif
 
 # Try different combinations to accommodate systems that only have
 # python[2][-config] in weird combinations but always preferring
-# python2 and python2-config as per pep-0394. If we catch a
-# python[-config] in version 3, the version check will kill it.
-PYTHON2 := $(if $(call get-executable,python2),python2,python)
-override PYTHON := $(call get-executable-or-default,PYTHON,$(PYTHON2))
-PYTHON2_CONFIG := \
+# python2 and python2-config as per pep-0394. If python2 or python
+# aren't found, then python3 is used.
+PYTHON_AUTO := python
+PYTHON_AUTO := $(if $(call get-executable,python3),python3,$(PYTHON_AUTO))
+PYTHON_AUTO := $(if $(call get-executable,python),python,$(PYTHON_AUTO))
+PYTHON_AUTO := $(if $(call get-executable,python2),python2,$(PYTHON_AUTO))
+override PYTHON := $(call get-executable-or-default,PYTHON,$(PYTHON_AUTO))
+PYTHON_AUTO_CONFIG := \
   $(if $(call get-executable,$(PYTHON)-config),$(PYTHON)-config,python-config)
 override PYTHON_CONFIG := \
-  $(call get-executable-or-default,PYTHON_CONFIG,$(PYTHON2_CONFIG))
+  $(call get-executable-or-default,PYTHON_CONFIG,$(PYTHON_AUTO_CONFIG))
 
 grep-libs  = $(filter -l%,$(1))
 strip-libs  = $(filter-out -l%,$(1))