PEREZ – NEVER ANY DOUBT

Sergio Pérez – Never any doubt – Photo: LAT

There was never any doubt that Sergio “Checo” Pérez would renew his deal with Racing Point. The Mexican driver has been with the team, formerly Force India, since 2015.

By DAN KNUTSON

The team announced after the first day of practice for the Belgian Grand Prix that Pérez had a new three-year contract.

It took time to sort out the deal because Pérez has a number of personal sponsors who contribute money to the team. And negotiations are necessary to sort out how much money goes to the team versus how much goes to Pérez’s salary.

“I’ve been working together with this group of people for a long time now,” Pérez said, “and they have become my second family. Together we have enjoyed a tremendous amount of success and we share the same passion for racing.

“I’ve been impressed with the direction the team has taken over the last twelve months and that gives me confidence for the future. I believe the best times are still to come and I look forward to celebrating plenty of podiums in the years ahead.”

It makes sense for both sides that Pérez signed a three-year deal. He is 29-years-old, and it is doubtful that he will ever get an offer from the big teams that are all focused on their own driver plans. So he might as well get a long-term commitment with a solid midfield team with good potential.

It also works out for the team which has a high opinion of Pérez.

Otmar Szafnauer, the CEO and team principal of Racing Point, said that over the last six years the team has seen Pérez “become a very complete driver with excellent qualifying speed and exceptional race craft.”

“Sergio believes in the long-term vision of this project and getting his commitment until the end of 2022 gives us valuable consistency going forward,” Szafnauer added. “As the team continues to grow and develop it’s important to have a driver with Sergio’s level of experience, especially with new regulations on the horizon. The whole team is thrilled to continue working with Sergio and I believe we can enjoy great success together in the coming years.”

Lance Stroll will be Pérez’ teammate for the foreseeable future given that his father, Lawrence Stroll, put together the consortium that bought and saved the team a year ago.

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