Formula 1: Sergio Perez working on long-term deal with Racing Point

Sergio Perez is working on a long-term contract to continue driving for Racing Point through the 2020 Formula 1 season and beyond.

Sergio Perez has driven for SportPesa Racing Point since the 2014 Formula 1 season when they were still called Sahara Force India, and he hopes to continue doing so on a new long-term contract.

Because of the financial instability of Force India prior to their purchase by a consortium led by Canadian billionaire investor Lawrence Stroll, the 29-year-old Mexican had previously typically signed one-year contract extensions, but he hopes to change that this year.

Here is what Perez had to say about the matter, according to Formula 1.

"“It takes a bit longer, my deals, due to that [my sponsorship tie-ups], so I think it should be a matter of time. Now the prospect and the ambitions of the team is very good, I think it will be very good to get a long-term deal here because I see that the team is going forwards. It works both ways well, and we ideally would like to commit for a long-term deal, so hopefully we can work out the terms and everything.”"

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Perez’s financial backers sent the team into administration, which then allowed the Stroll-led consortium to capitalize and make their purchase, renaming the team Racing Point Force India before completely scrapping Force India ahead of the 2019 season and simply becoming Racing Point, now SportPesa Racing Point due to SportPesa’s title sponsorship rights.

Stroll then confirmed that his son and former Williams driver Lance would be Perez’s teammate as opposed to Esteban Ocon, the Mercedes junior driver who had driven for the team since the start of the 2017 season. They team hope to retain Lance for the foreseeable future as well.

Here is what team principal Otmar Szafnauer had to say about the prospect of Racing Point’s future driver lineup, according to Formula 1.

"“We’ve traditionally let drivers go if they have those [better] opportunities but that was through the old ownership. I haven’t asked the new ownership what their policy is on that. But you never want to stand in anyone’s way of progressing their career and themselves. I don’t know, it’s a good question [whether Racing Point will retain its drivers next season]. I hope so.”"

Since he began driving for Force India in the 2014 season, Perez has only finished behind his teammate in the driver standings on one occasions. He has not done so since he finished behind Nico Hulkenberg in the 2014 season.

Following Stroll’s fourth place finish in the German Grand Prix and the 12 points that came along with it, Perez trails the 20-year-old Canadian by five points (18 to 13) in the standings. He sits in 16th while Stroll sits in a 12th place tie.

Perez began competing in Formula 1 in the 2011 season, and he has made 166 starts since then. He has recorded eight podium finishes, including five in his 110 starts as a Force India/Racing Point driver.

These five podium finishes are all third place finishes, the most recent of which coming in last year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. His career-high finishes are his second place finishes in the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix and the 2012 Italian Grand Prix when he was driving for Sauber.

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Will Sergio Perez return to Racing Point for what would be his seventh consecutive season driving for the team in the 2020 Formula 1 season, and if so, will he do so on a long-term contract through at least the 2021 season as well? Will he be paired with Lance Stroll once again?

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