Sergio Perez has announced that he will be leaving Racing Point’s Formula 1 team after this season. The team that will continue as Aston Martin next year has yet to appoint a new driver for the following season. The name of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel can still be heard in the corridors.
As a reasonable bolt from the blue, Sergio Perez announced on Wednesday evening that he would no longer take action for the current Racing Point next year. The Mexican has been with the Formula 1 team for seven years, which previously operated under the name Force India. What makes his departure extra special is that Perez himself helped to keep the team afloat financially. When billionaire Lawrence Stroll took over in 2018, Perez was deeply involved.
However, there doesn’t seem to be a place for him on the team when it continues as Aston Martin in 2021. Stroll, chairman of the board at the brand, has his own son Lance on the team as a driver and so seems to want to put another rider next to him. After all, Perez indicates that he has no prospect of anything else yet and suggests that his departure was not exactly his own idea.
Although Racing Point team principal Otmar Szafnauer has indicated this week that Sebastian Vettel has ‘never been in the picture’, Vettel is still considered the most logical successor to Perez. After all, the four-time world champion is still without a seat after his departure from Ferrari after this season and Aston Martin is seen as the most interesting remaining option. The German Nico Hülkenberg, who drove for the team when it was still Force India, is also mentioned as a candidate for 2021. He also came in for Perez this year, when the Mexican turned out to have corona. Hülkenberg immediately made an impression with his sudden return to Formula 1. Perez in turn, with his Mexican sponsor millions, is a candidate for a seat at Haas or Alfa Romeo.
Update: Sebastian Vettel has since been confirmed as Perez’s successor at Racing Point (Aston Martin).