Formula 1: Which Aston Martin ‘rival’ contacted Sergio Perez?

Sergio Perez revealed that he has already been in talks with a “rival” of Aston Martin for the 2021 Formula 1 season, should he be replaced by Sebastian Vettel.

While Sergio Perez has a contract to compete for Racing Point, which are set to be rebranded as Aston Martin starting next year, through the 2022 Formula 1 season, there is growing speculation that team owner Lawrence Stroll, whose son Lance also competes for the team, will trigger an exit clause in his contract and replace him with Sebastian Vettel ahead of next season.

Ferrari have already confirmed that the four-time world champion will not be back with the team next year. McLaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr. has been confirmed as Vettel’s replacement alongside Charles Leclerc.

Perez also recently confirmed that despite the fact that he is under contract through 2022, he has already been contacted by a rival team about next season amid the speculation that the 33-year-old German will be replacing him next year.

Here is what he had to say about the matter, according to Planet F1.

"“In Formula 1, you never know until you’re going to start the race if you’re going to be racing. This is how things are. I know I’ve got a contract. During the week, obviously the rumors came out and we actually got contacted by a team in the paddock – I won’t say names, obviously – and also by other teams in categories, which was quite a surprise because we have a contract for next year here. At the moment, there are just rumors around. Nothing more to add from my side other than we’ve got a contract in place.”"

So who contacted him?

There are three teams that stand out here, and one stands out as a clear better option than the other two. We’ll start with the least likely option, and that is Red Bull Racing.

What better way to make Aston Martin pay for letting you go than by signing with one of the few teams that are actually capable of winning?

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Oh, and that team happens to be the team from which Aston Martin will be departing as title sponsor following the 2020 season.

Of course, we know that Red Bull have been keen on working with the drivers currently within their organization. There doesn’t seem to be a reason for Alexander Albon not to return to the team next year, and even if he doesn’t, there are other drivers within the stable from whom to choose, particularly the AlphaTauri pair of Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat.

Plus, pinning Perez, who hasn’t lost a teammate battle since 2014, against young superstar Max Verstappen, who turned 17 in 2014 and was not yet competing in Formula 1, may not be the best idea. Red Bull have already made clear that they don’t want to have two alpha drivers.

A more likely option is Alfa Romeo Racing. They do not have any drivers under contract for next season, and one of their two current drivers, Kimi Raikkonen, is the oldest driver on the grid at 40 years old and is slated to become the sport’s all-time most experienced driver later this year.

The other, Antonio Giovinazzi, was selected by Ferrari two years in a row, as Ferrari have the right to choose one of the team’s two drivers each season. But with the works Ferrari team having no openings until 2023 at the earliest, will they send him to Alfa Romeo Racing for a third straight year in 2021?

Finally, the most likely option is Haas. Haas’ driver lineup of Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean is tied for the longest tenured lineup on the grid with that of Mercedes (Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas).

But it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that it is time for a change. The shock within the Formula 1 world when Haas re-signed Grosjean for a fifth year ahead of the 2020 season alone is enough to signal that the driver who has been with the sport’s lone American organization since they began competing in Formula 1 may not be back for a sixth year in 2021.

Haas have struggled in recent years after a promising 2018 campaign that saw them place fifth in the constructor championship and nearly come away with the “best of the rest” title in fourth if not for early issues that prevented them from capitalizing on their pace.

Team principal Guenther Steiner recently hinted that the team’s 2021 driver lineup could include a pay driver, and Perez fits that bill given the millions of dollars worth of funding he brings from his Mexican sponsors.

If Aston Martin do end up signing Sebastian Vettel for the 2021 Formula 1 season, look for Sergio Perez to end up competing for Haas as the replacement for Romain Grosjean, but don’t be surprised to see him end up at Alfa Romeo Racing or try to land a deal to compete for Red Bull Racing.