Sergio Perez has confirmed that he will not return to Racing Point, set to be rebranded as Aston Martin, for the 2021 Formula 1 season.
In a move that had long been speculated, Sergio Perez has confirmed that he will be leaving Racing Point after the 2020 Formula 1 season.
Racing Point, set to be rebranded as Aston Martin beginning next year, signed Perez to a three-year contract extension in August of 2019, but that deal contained an out clause allowing the contract to be ended before the initial termination date.
He confirmed this news on Twitter.
Tengo algo que anunciarles...
— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) September 9, 2020
¡Gracias por su apoyo todo este tiempo!
I have something to announce to you...
Thank you for your support all these years!#NeverGiveUp pic.twitter.com/4qN9U6Cg1L
It has long been speculated that four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who is in the midst of his sixth and final season competing for Ferrari, would replace Perez at Aston Martin alongside Lance Stroll next year.
Perez’s confirmation may very well be the first official step in terms of making that a reality, as Vettel still hasn’t confirmed any plans for next year.
Stroll is the son of team owner Lawrence Stroll, who led a consortium to purchase the organization when they were known as Force India during the 2018 season.
While Perez’s backers were the ones who sent the team into administration to allow the Stroll-backed group to make their purchase, the 30-year-old Mexican admitted recently that if he were in position to cut his son or his teammate, he would cut the latter.
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Perez’s announcement does not come amid the confirmation of a new driver, but it is evident that he wouldn’t be leaving the team just because he wanted to leave. He did, after all, note that he does not have a “Plan B”.
He began driving for Force India in 2014 after spending two years with Sauber and one with McLaren, and he has not lost a teammate battle in the driver standings since 2014, giving him a series-high five-year streak of beating his teammates entering the 2020 season.
Perez has recorded eight career podium finishes in 182 starts, including five in 126 starts for Force India/Racing Point. He finished in a career-high second place in the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit.
All five of his podium finishes for Force India/Racing Point are third place results, most recently in the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku City Circuit.
Through eight races so far this season, Perez sits in 11th place in the driver standings, but he has not yet finished outside of the top 10. His low placement in the standings is due to the fact that he was forced to miss the two races at Silverstone Circuit after contracting COVID-19.