Perez reacts to departure at Racing Point: "They told me yesterday"
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Yesterday evening Sergio Perez himself announced that he will be without a team as of 2021 (for the time being). He won't continue his career at Racing Point (Aston Martin in 2021), but it really shouldn't be called a surprise, as it was already in the air for a while. His replacement was announced on Thursday morning and that wasn't a surprise either: Sebastian Vettel takes his place.
Perez already felt it coming
"I got the confirmation yesterday", says Perez quoted by Formule1.nl at the press conference. "Nobody had told me anything, but I already felt it coming, because I had already invented something myself. It's fine, I've been on the team for seven years."
The message came directly from team owner Lawrence Stroll: "I got a call from Lawrence and he told me they want to go in a different direction."
Looking back on his time with the team, he says: "We've made so many podiums with cars that couldn't really do that," he says about the highlights, only to give it a stab. "The real highlight for me was saving the team and saving so many careers."
Finally, Perez says of his departure that despite everything he had a slightly different impression somewhere. "I got the idea that the team wanted to keep me. There were some discussions going on behind the scenes, but I won't go into that further. They told me yesterday. I wasn't expecting it."
No news in the short term
He has indicated in his message that he would like to stay active in the sport, but his future is still cloudy. "Everything is currently an option and my goal is to stay in Formula 1. I'm young and hungry, but it has to be the right package and it has to be a long term project."
In the short term, however, something is not yet coming, says the Mexican: "I don't expect quick announcements, I have to consider everything first. I think the team will be stronger next year and that makes saying goodbye even more painful."
Eyes at 2022
"I'd like to stay in Formula 1", Perez then repeats himself by putting a perspective on it at the same time. "I'd like to sign a two-year deal somewhere so I can have a strong season in 2022 as soon as the new regulations are in place. Once you are out of Formula 1, it will be very difficult to come back."