Perez announces he is leaving Racing Point

2021 F1 season

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Sergio Perez has confirmed he will leave Racing Point at the end of the season.

In a statement released on social media Perez confirmed he will not drive for the team next year when it becomes Aston Martin.

Perez joined the team from McLaren at the end of 2013 and signed a new three-year deal to drive for them last year.

However the arrival of four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel on the driver market for next year prompted speculation the team would try to make room for the Ferrari driver in its line-up. As the team’s other car is driven by Lance Stroll, the son of co-owner Lawrence Stroll, doubt has surrounded Perez’s future for several months.

“Everything in life always has a beginning and an end, and after seven years together, my time with the team will come to an end after this season,” Perez confirmed today.

Perez remained with the team when it went into administration in 2018, leading to its takeover by Stroll’s consortium.

“It hurts a bit as I bet on the team during very rough times,” said Perez. “We managed to overcome obstacles and I am very proud of saving the jobs of several of my team mates.

“I’ll keep the memories of the great moments lived together, the friendships and the satisfaction of always giving my all. I will always be grateful for the opportunity given to me by Vijay Mallya, who believed in me in 2014 and allowed me to continue my Fl career with Force India.

“To the current administration, led by Lawrence Stroll, I wish nothing but the best in the future, specially with the upcoming Aston Martin project.”

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Perez said he hopes to remain in Formula 1. “I don’t have a plan B,” he said. “My intention is to continue racing here, but that would depend on finding a project that motivates me to continue giving my 100% in each lap.

“I want to thank each one of you who have been with me throughout these 10 years. To my family, who has always been there to support me despite anything.

“To all the sponsors who believed in my project, to my staff, and mainly God, who blessed me with the opportunity to live this incredible adventure called F1.

“I hope I can give you some good news real soon, but for now, let’s enjoy together the next races.
I carry you in my heart.”

Racing Point CEO Otmar Szafnauer praised Perez’s contribution to the team but did not indicate what they had cut his contract short by two years.

“Checo has been part of the Silverstone family for seven years and in that time has become one of the most complete drivers on the grid,” said Szafnauer.

“Blisteringly quick on Saturday and Sunday, he’s established his reputation as a tenacious racer and together we have enjoyed some fantastic moments. If there was ever a sniff of a podium, Checo was ready to pounce, and those five podiums represent some of the finest days in the history of this team.

“Outside of the car, Checo is a true character and a good friend, and it’s been a pleasure working with him for such a long time. Although we will say goodbye at the end of the year, there are still nine races to go and plenty of opportunities for Checo to make some more special memories with this team.”

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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125 comments on “Perez announces he is leaving Racing Point”

  1. The continued existence of Lance Strol in one of F1’s best cars and most promising team is probably F1’s biggest shame right now.

    1. (@hahostolze I’d said the same at the start of the season ,but really, Lance’s been doing very well and Perez has not impressed as much in a car that is capable. Call it bad luck, bad strategy, but Lance did well this season.

      1. Much as I hate to admit it, Stroll has been doing not so bad this season. My preference would have much rather been Vettel/Perez, but when Papa-Stroll owns the team, what are you going to do? Looking forward to Vettel at Aston Martin and a Perez/Hulkenberg line up at Haas.

      2. Stroll is doing much better this season than in previous seasons and has certainly exceeded my expectations for him at the start. I still think the Racing Point is much faster than both drivers are showing, and Perez has performed considerably worse than last year and every year since 2014. This could be because he already knew he was leaving and either wasn’t giving the same commitment as before, or maybe the team were focussing more or Stroll (like with Leclerc and Vettel in 2020), but last year’s Perez would surely be fourth in the championship even without the two races at Silverstone and the bad luck in the last few races. We saw how good Perez can be with this car in the Styrian Grand Prix, but since then he has dropped from being much faster than Stroll to being close to equal with Stroll, (although Stroll is doing better than last year). Still, I hope Perez gets a drive with Haas or Alfa Romeo, because from 2015 to 2019 he was one of the best drivers in the sport, and he can hopefully regain that kind of speed. Also, his tyre-saving is still the best on the grid.

        1. I used to despise Stroll, but he has earned my respect the last year or so. Perez is no Senna, but I think the bigger shame is replacing him with the has been that is Sebastian Vettel.

          1. Agreed. Lance gets discredited often because of his dad. Sometimes it has been rightfully so, but he has done legitimately well for the most part this year. He is definitely not the WORST driver on the grid.

    2. I don’t agree that RP is the most promising team and also disagree with your (outdated?) view on Lance’s talent and performance.

      1. He definitely isn’t as good as his average results suggest. This lace race then, my God, the guy was nowhere and had a shot at the win because of a red flag.

        1. …and probably would have won if he had managed to not be the -only- driver to drive straight off the track at the restart.

    3. Spot on. RP got a lucky first podium last weekend, while they should have at least a couple earlier in the season on merit.

      RP makes Lance look good.
      Lance threw away the win on Sunday.

      No one denies he is improving but He still belongs to the bottom quartile of F1 drivers.

      1. He still belongs to the bottom quartile of F1 drivers.

        Probably true. However I feel as though people pick on him for this too much. I mean he’s a basically competent F1 driver who isn’t out of his depth on the circuit and, importantly, doesn’t cause problems for other people in his wheel-to-wheel racing etc.

        Someone has to be in the bottom quartile. Just because his father is so rich doesn’t mean that Lance is somehow “worse than” a bottom-quartile driver, as in someone who has literally paid to get on the grid and can’t compete at all. And of course we can include Grosjean, Giovinazzi and old Kimi (much as we’re all fans of him) as equally bottom-quartile drivers, I don’t think you can say that Lance is definitively the worst or slowest driver on the grid. Kimi can fall back through the order like a stone and get a much nicer reaction than if Lance did the same, albeit in a worse car (you know what I mean though…)

        I was too young to see it live but there’s footage on Youtube of actual pay drivers from decades ago, who simply were not up to scratch as F1 drivers. I would save the vitriol until someone like that turns up in F1 again (not the comment I’m replying to, but the general negativity from lots of people).

        1. Jose Lopes da Silva
          10th September 2020, 9:43

          The difference between historical pay drivers and Stroll is that they could not buy teams to race. They could not last season after season if they did not show talent, because they would run out of money. Before, drivers like McLaren, Brabham and Fittpaldi had to set up a team to race in their cars. Stroll does the same, with the difference that his father bought a team for him.

          The continuing presence of Stroll means that being the son of a multibillionaire will soon (or a former F1 champion) be a mandatory condition to race in Formula 1. Right now we have Stroll and Latifi, and soon we will have Mazepin.

          There are tons of drivers would could be in the bottom quartile and they aren’t because they’re not sons of multi-billionaires. The 2019 GP2 champion is now part of history, for instance, and no one talks about him.

          Any slice of success by Stroll only makes this scenario worst, not better. Thankfully he’s not been that special and the Monza race was a good example of this, but several people are already open to this “he’s not that bad” thing. I wish Stroll could be put in place of Bottas, so that people could compare him to Bottas and Rosberg.

          1. For much of F1 history if a driver was rubbish they never got on the grid because they wouldn’t get through qualifying, there were plenty rubbish drivers who got to F1 by a number of routes but were quickly found out and forgotten.

            Wealthy people gadding about in racing cars is as old as motorracing itself and in fact is arguable the very origin of the sport, when wealthy owners of these new fangled automobiles set about showing them off and testing themselves against each other to see who was the most manly; the idea that it is suddenly some sort of meritocracy that is being corrupted by wealthy families paying their kids entrance fee is grossly naieve and ignores the fact that they still have to earn their super licence points by success in lower formulae and other racing series and find someone with deep pockets to fund it in the form of sponsors.

            How much money do your parents have to have before you lose credibility as a racing driver? One usually only sees this arguement deployed to attack drivers people don’t like. For example it is rarely ever mentioned that Lando Norris’ father is a multi-millionaire worth around £200million. Ayrton Senna’s family were pretty wealthy but that’s convieniently forgotten in the midsts of time.
            Stroll was in F1 before his dad bought a team, look at his previous record, he has a place on merit, if he was doing a poor job then his presence in his fathers team should be of concern, but while he may not be the best driver on the grid, he is still performing solidly and improving.

            Besides, ‘undeserving’ drivers sneak in by all sorts of methods for example when Honda as an engine supplier tried to twist Frank Williams arm to ditch Mansell for Nakajima and when Williams told them ‘no’, they foisted him on Lotus at Dumfries’ expense (another driver from a significantly wealth family…). Nakajima was arguably out of his depth at the time and it was frequently pointed out in the early days, occupying a seat that someone else may have done more with perhaps?

            You will always be able to point to some f1 drivers and find others outside of F1 who would appear a better bet, but for a multitude of reasons (bad decisions on contracts, personal connections, not having a racing dad, contractual obligation, ability to find a sponsor with deep enough pockets, or of course personal wealth) that hasn’t happened for them, only 20 or so drivers make onto the grid, hundreds who could be just as good won’t, that’s the way of it.
            Ultimately let’s not forget that Perez’s own path through formula one has been helped by significant funding from one of the worlds richest men, a multi-billionaire who makes Laurence Stroll look like a small change barrow boy, yet not a word of criticism raised by you. To follow your logic that soon being the son of a billionaire will soon be a mandatory requirement for entry, I could add ‘or being friendly with one’ but I won’t because almost all F1 drivers have to find insane amounts of money to pay there way through the feeder series and it generally isn’t theirs, does it really matter if it comes from a big company, a wealthy benefactor or their family?

          2. Jose Lopes da Silva
            10th September 2020, 17:03

            @on the marbles
            “does it really matter if it comes from a big company, a wealthy benefactor or their family?”
            It should matter, of course.

            No, F1 has not turned into a meritocracy, but now it got closer to the Fifties than ever. The professional era (sponsoring pre-Ecclestone and Ecclestone itself) should have increased meritocracy. We’re losing it.
            Mr Slim could have picked up any Mexican he liked. Mr Stroll would only have picked his son.

            You’re asking me to look at Stroll previous record? I looked. Teams bought, just like at F1 level, and teammates lifting the foot. And it’s not me saying this, it’s George Russell.

            I don’t think Senna, Perez or any other driver in recent history was given space to develop until getting into F1 while having all the perks and privileges that Stroll had.

            Red Bull draws an immense amount of criticism but they’re meritocratic. Felix da Costa had a bad season in 2013 and got “replaced” by Kvyat. Harsh but fair. Brendon Hartley would never get an opportunity from another F1 team.

            The criticism Red Bull gets equals the silence regarding the fact that Stroll can’t be fired for lack of results. He got to F1 always knowing that he could not get fired for lack of results.

            More than silence, now we have the active defense of the fact that Stroll can’t be fired.

            Russell could be sued for having said that Stroll was getting helped by teammates, but clearly Mr Stroll does not care, because no one cares too.

    4. Well… Vettel dangling around, a 4-time champion tag is too enticing for any project. RP had to replace one driver, all perez had to do was to make that decision hard. Perez just did not perform, I’m sure he is a better driver than Stroll but sergio convieniently did not do enough to force papa stroll to relocate his son. The other shareholders won’t miss Perez regardeless, money is power but the team has it’s own, new identity.

  2. No time to die.

  3. in a very limited market it will be tough for Checo to find a seat.
    not what he deserves .

  4. Expected, but still a bit of a shock. Welcome Seb to Aston Martin.

    1. And Perez to Haas, fitting for a North American outfit to have a North American driver.

    2. In the current state, what felt unfair a few months back looks now like a good move (at least for 2021).

      Then Vettel still has to be confirmed. Could it be Nico or Stoffel instead? Are they realistic candidates and are there others? Keith will probably publish a list tomorrow.

      1. Cannot imagine Stoffel or HUL were enticing enough for RP to drop PER than of course VET, who is available for recruit.

      2. Hey, Lewis hasn’t got a contract for next year either [ducks]. Just depends how deep Lawrence wants to dig in his wallet, I guess…

        But sure, there’s plenty of options. Hulk would obviously be able to drop in and be very effective, and would be a lot cheaper. Question is who do the sponsors want? I’m kind of struggling to see how Seb is that enticing an opportunity for them, aside from how the sponsors might view him.

      3. They have to pay Perez to release him from his contract so they will do that only for Sebastian Vettel not for other drivers.

  5. Stroll and Vettel then. Very sad to see Stroll keeping his drive ahead of Perez.

    1. I don’t know how many could say Perez has had a better season than Stroll though.

      1. Stroll is also having a better season than Vettel

        1. Also better than leclerc in a car that suit leclerc.. whats your point? That Ferrari is too bad right now? Or that you don’t like vettel for illogical reasons??

          1. Car aside, I don’t feel that Vettel is that motivated at Ferrari at the moment. Nor do I think that his performances have been that great this year, a trend that seemed to have started last year. A stint at Racing Point would give us a chance to see if he has still got it.

            I do actually like Vettel, I think he is a good character. But if he has lost his passion, I would rather he retired on his terms rather than be pushed out of the sport.

    2. “Blisteringly quick on Saturday and Sunday” something Vettel hasn’t really been for a while so why replace him? I can’t help but feel this is a marketing move to say Aston Martin has a 4 time champion for their relaunch. Hopefully it will reignite Seb’s spark and he’ll be back to his 2013 spec.

      1. @tommy-c sure, if 2021 Aston Martin has double diffusers, or some other way to stick the car to the track.

        1. Well not by outright performance, but in respect to his consistency and lack of errors. Seb was flawless that season, even before the absurd 9 race winning streak.

  6. Well that is Vettel to Racing Point then. Think that Perez is going to end up at Haas.

    1. Think so too. Be nice to see him partnering Hulkenberg there again.

  7. A shame really given all Perez has done for that team. Obviously Vettel will take his seat, but it is a shame that Stroll still has his. I wonder if they’ll stay pink next year when they become Aston Martin?

    If Perez stays in F1, his choices are slim. Haas or Alfa Romeo? With Hulkenberg also available, putting those two back together would be a really good choice for any team.

    1. @rocketpanda

      I wonder if they’ll stay pink next year when they become Aston Martin

      Sure I heard on a recent podcast, forget which but it was bonafide journo, not just some gob-on-a-stick, that its not their intention to be pink, with or without BWT

      G

      1. Yes pink doesn’t fit in with the Aston Martin brand.

  8. petebaldwin (@)
    9th September 2020, 19:49

    Well I think we all saw this coming…

  9. A blind man on a galloping horse could see this coming.
    Sad about sums it up considering his team mate is lackluster to say the least.

    1. His team mate is beating him, 4th in the standings with 57 points vs 11th for Pérez with 34 points…

      1. But Perez missed two races…

      2. Keep in mind Checo missed 2 weekends due to Covid.

        1. One of the two races he would have missed anyway. They had an DNF remember.

          1. also Lance lucked out on Monza and got 15 points, which surely helped

        2. Stroll also had a car failure, at the first race in Austria. But anyway, my point is: he is fourth. Like, the only three drivers in front of him in the standings are Hamilton, Bottas and Verstappen. I think the term lackluster is wrong and is just based on (and it’s getting old…) the fact that his dad owns the team, therefore he must suck.

  10. Where can he go?

    1. @freelittlebirds
      Other than Haas or Alfa, I don’t see an option for Perez.
      Maybe Renault, if Ocon keeps disappointing like he is doing so far. But I don’t think they’d kick him out just yet.

      1. The french connection is too powerful for Alpine to let Ocon go, unless Gasly can get in there
        Speaking of which, he would be daft to go back up against Verstappen so unless he can find another team further up the grid (ahem, Aston?) Pierre will be staying where he is

        G

        1. That’s why I said they wouldn’t get rid of him just yet.
          Regarding Gasly, I also think he’ll stay where he is right now. Next to Verstappen at RB or Alonso at Renault?! He won’t be doing that.

          1. I agree that Gasly should stay put, but I don’t think Alonso will be as strong as before. My money is on Ocon in that teammate battle.

  11. My bet on his move to Haas. His seat will be naturally filled by Seb.

  12. Nice place to announce Seb to Aston then in Mugello, the day Ferrari celebrate their 1000th race (+/- a few efforts).

    I am more curious to see where Sergio turns up. Would be quite an improvement to see Haas go for Perez and Hulk to replace their crashprone current drivers.

    1. I actually think it’s a safe bet for Haas to continue with Magnussen – and with this move, Perez would be a perfect teammate, both in terms of driving skills and money. Earlier I was also thinking about possibility of Schwartzmann or Illot coming to the team, but with Perez and Hulk free on the driver market I think we’ll have to wait for them for another season or two.

      1. Yes, it’s a bit disappointing that there are so few seats available in F1 given the number of outstanding drivers in F2 right now looking for somewhere to go. I guess they will have to just spend another season or two in F2, but at some point something has to give.

        1. Jose Lopes da Silva
          10th September 2020, 9:49

          This is why we should have larger grids with simpler and cheaper cars.

  13. Vijay Mallya would be saying… Karma is a bitch😝😝😝

  14. Well he hasn’t been that strong this season too tbh, not saying he deserves the seat less than stroll. Just that I’ve been unimpressed with both of them so far this season.
    We saw hulkenberg with no racing experience for months and just 4 hours in the car handily out qualify and beat stroll in the race.

    Hulkenberg and Perez at Haas would be terrific for everyone involved

    1. To Ipsom and others – I feel that Perez has had a rather rough season with tyre strategies keeping Lance ahead.

      Just a feeling, but it is there.

  15. Are we sure it’s Seb? It could be Nico.

    1. nice plot twist there

    2. or Gasly…?

    3. @freelittlebirds

      You must mean Hulkenburg, because Toto is keeping Rosberg’s seat open for him.

  16. The situation with Perez potentially moving to Haas could be interesting. Last year, one of the reasons they didn’t want to sign Hulkenberg was due to his salary, and it would probably be the same with Perez. However, the backing he brings could sweeten the deal for Haas. I still do believe that a team like Williams 100% should do everything they can to entice him. He is what they need, and a Russell-Perez partnership would be excellent.

    1. @mashiat I’d like to see Perez at Williams if for no other reason than to have a known quantity to compare against Russell. For that reason maybe Mercedes would be keen on this too, to get another point of comparison if they’re seriously considering Russell for a Mercedes drive in 2022.

      1. Very good point there.

      2. I don’t think Mercedes are seriously considering Russel for 2022. why should they? you don’t mess with a winning team…

    2. Jose Lopes da Silva
      10th September 2020, 9:54

      You won’t have Russell-Perez at Williams for the same reason you have Perez-Stroll and Racing Point.

  17. Gutted for Checo after all that he has done for the team. Specially that he lost his seat while lance still is in the team.
    Checo and Nico helped FI in becoming the team between the leaders and the midfield, so either Alfa Romeo or Haas would benefit with that pairing, if they do really go for it.

    1. I think it’s rather disgraceful after the commitment Perez has given to this team, just last year committing to a contract to go until 2022, only to be shown the door to make way for a driver who spins every other race

  18. There is something going on if they cut short his contract (Vettel?) But what he has done not only to his team and mexico this is frustrared.
    I’m not sure if he cannot find a seat that Mexican Gp will continue on the calendar.

  19. János Henkelmann
    9th September 2020, 20:17

    As much as I love him as a person and a fighter I believe his time in F1 would have ended
    quite soon anyways.

    I would love to see him in Indycar. That’s where he belongs and where he can show his racecraft.

  20. Hate to see him go after he put a break to make sure the team doesn’t collapse. But Stroll Sr was the one that save the team financially.

    It’s clear that Stroll Sr had a good vision. It’s also clear that his son was a part of that vision too.

    I’m pessimistic on Checo getting seat on another team but still hope Checo got a great contract break compensation.

    1. oh I’m sure he’ll be paid alright. maybe it will hurt him in terms of career, but in terms of money, I think he’ll be alright

  21. He didn’t deserve this. Probably one of the things about the sport I dislike but I do hope he finds a drive, still a quality racer.

  22. I think Haas will dump both Grosjean and KMags, and the old Racing Point duo will be at Haas next season.

    1. I think this would be the best option both for the drivers and Haas. They seemed to work well together at FI and could probably boost the team up the running order. Ferrari engine permitting of course. :)

  23. A bit weird to read this in an interview with Szafnauner in AMS today.

    AMS: Wann werden Sie Ihre Fahrer bestätigen?
    Szafnauer: Das haben wir schon vor zwei Jahren getan. Es gibt nichts mehr zu bestätigen.
    AMS: Mit anderen Worten: Sebastian Vettel ist raus?
    Szafnauer: Er war nie drin.

    In short: RP confirmed driver line-up for 2020 2 years(!) ago, and Vettel was never ‘considered’.

    1. That was the first thing I thought of when I read the news. Very strange comments by Szafnauer now.

    2. @coldfly
      But he didn’t answer the last question, regarding next year.
      So, I wouldn’t read too much into this interview.
      Just like the last time Alonso extended his contract at Ferrari and told the world how ‘Ferrari is the best team in the world’ and ‘he would end his career there’.
      We all know how that turned out.

    3. So Otmar Szafnauer is out?

  24. “i have a contract”

    LMAO just shows that means absolutly nothing whenever ANYONE says it.

    1. petebaldwin (@)
      9th September 2020, 20:38

      Having a contract simply means that they have to pay you a bit of money to leave rather than paying you nothing.

      1. Exactly a buyout clause, but people and drivers seem to be under the impression that a contract is set in diamond coated stone :)

        1. Perez even said that in F1, having a contract goes only so far and that he might lose the seat anyway, so he himself was definitely not under that impression.

          1. nevermind the weeks of i have a contract, i have a contract no merit to vettel rumors etc we’ve been hearing huh?

  25. Another Flavio Briatore-esque owner. Vettel is a great educational fit for Lance and for the team in general. Here’s hoping their mild successes of late keep going. Probably a good idea for SV to keep his contact short.

  26. Lance to Checo:
    These are my toys, and I have a new best friend.

  27. Fingers crossed for this. It’s a shame that Grosjean and Magnussen haven’t had a car that lets them demonstrate their talents, but it’d be *such* a shame for Checo to not have a seat.

    It’s one of those awful things about “company loyalty” – Checo essentially saved Force India – but the moment the company needs something, it doesn’t hesitate to cut him. This is one thing that over the course of my career, I’ve learned too many times, and tried to teach younger folks.

    “Company loyalty” is never symmetric. Don’t behave as though it is.

    1. (blew it when posting, but this was supposed to be a reply to Checo -> Haas)

      1. Grosjean has shown his lack of talent for years.

        1. In the second half of 2013, Grosjean was arguably the second or third best driver on the grid. He was also very quick at the start of 2012, and was fast too in 2014 and 2015, despite having a poor car. For whatever reason, Grosjean’s driving has declined considerably since he joined Haas, but he has proven in his Lotus days that he can be a very good driver.

          1. get over yourself, along with Gio he is the worst driver by far and has allways been.

    2. I don’t think Checo really did anything did he @helava? Didn’t spend his own money or take a pay cut. He talked to some people to save his drive basically, and pulled it off being a sponsored driver. He wasn’t being noticeably loyal to the team when he was putting their other car in the wall.

      1. Perez put his name on the action that took FI into administration. That’s a huge personal risk – even if not financially, at the time the impact on his reputation or future hireablity was totally unknown. It took a lot of stones in my view, and I have a lot of respect for what he did.

        1. Agree with you Seppo. Perez did that to save the team, then the new boss shafts him. Nice…

          1. Yes what he did saved the team but it got someone else a great team at a giveaway price.
            Compare that to the sale of Williams where the new owners bought the whole team including outstanding debts.

        2. Well he did it to fend off a winding up order @helava, from another creditor, that would have closed the team. He was claiming $4m and was supported by Mercedes and BTW who asked him to do it. He probably meant well but you can’t really separate out any loyalty from simple self-preservation. It was the obvious thing to do, something he had to do, and he did it.

  28. Not surprising, but still hurts. If I was the Stroll dad i would care more about my teams success than about who’s driving it. I’d replace Lance with Seb.

    This is a good example, at least for as far as can be determined, that money is often at the root of many preference/prejudice. And blood is thicker then water. From what I know he already had a contract for 2021 and 2022, so i wouldn’t be surprised if they pay him to step out.

    I hope he finds a good place though, he deserves more success than he had…at least, to my taste.

    1. I’m sure they paid him to break his contract. by the way, I don’t agree with you. if your son was a racing driver and you had a F1 team, of course you’d let him drive in it. let’s be real here.

  29. RP team principal said yesterday on an interview that Vettel was never “considered”. If he really said that, there’s only one outcome:
    He didn’t want Vettel, but the decision was not his to make. That’s my bet.
    He tried to keep Perez untill the last minute, in an internal battle that could cost his job.

    Or he’s just a cold blooded lier.

  30. Great, I just doubled my AM stock yesterday. I don’t want to cheer for team Vettel. Ah well, at least it’s going to be fun to see Lance destroy that last bit of legacy that Seb still thinks he has.

    1. Ahah, indeed, so annoying though, perez is a very deserving driver, he’s been in f1 a lot and has capitalized on many podium chances, so if you want to say hulkenberg doesn’t do that, perez does, you can’t ask for more from a midfield car driver, he never got a chance in a top team, I don’t see what vettel did proving he’s better than perez, it’s not like perez wouldn’t have won 4 titles in the same position as vettel those years.

  31. I feel they’ve treated Perez quite badly. RP may have lost a fan in me because of this.

  32. He was used as a tool for someone’s ambition but in such dealings, there are no loyalties.

  33. Such a shame about Perez. Despite his flaws, I really believe he is one of very few who could stand in a close championship fight and not be fazed.

  34. Shame. Also, I was very much hoping to see the back of Vettel after this season. He’s completely lost it.

  35. Vettel to Racing Point is a win-win for Stroll senior.

    They get a 4-times World champion in their car – which looks good.

    If vettel beats Stroll then they get a good result, and Lance needn’t feel too bad being beaten by an experienced 4-time champion.

    If Vettel underperforms, and Stroll beats him then Lance has proved himself by having beaten a 4 x world champion.

    Plus I don’t think Vettel will be able to command a massive salary with no other options.

    1. Good comment.

  36. Back in 2012 I got a bit disillusioned when the future of the really closely matched pair at Sauber was revealed. One of them, a certain Sergio Perez was signed by a team that finished the 2012 season on top, the other one, Kamui Kobayashi wasn’t even landed a race seat, that seemed way too harsh.
    Later this year, after 17 races, I believe Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll could also end up relatively closely matched on points, so again, elbowing out this time Perez feels harsh, regardless of who the other driver that wasn’t sacked of who the driver that fills in.

  37. I love the Szafnauer statement – “he’s such a great driver we don’t want him any more”

  38. I’m not sure firing Perez to hire Vettel is an improvement.

  39. I clearly now understand certain team decisions people at RP have made recently giving some unnecessary advantage to stroll. For example last race not pitting Perez under safety car and making him race all the way up. Clearly the team knew he could do it but it was odd to say the least to take such a risk, I wonder what would have happened if he finally could have tried to overtake stroll. This past race was a bad joke for Perez, first lando making an almost-break testing manoeuvre entry to pits (unnoticed???), then team messing up the tyre change and last but not least with red flag everybody gets a free pitstop sending him to 14th from 6th. He also argues that obnoxious max damaged his car. Whatever. You can see 2012 monza to see what is for a midfield car to really fight for a podium no to be just gifted by redflag luck, just strategy and commitment. One thing for sure, better to see Gasly win than to see Hamilton’s copy-paste wins for most grand prix.

  40. Haas could use some carlo’s slim Billetones!!

  41. Up until 3 weeks ago I would have put Perez in a pink BWT / Tectel Williams next to George Russell, now his options seem to ben either HAAS or Alfa Romeo with under performing Ferrari engines. HAAS probably more likely with the same BWT or Tectel sponsorship.

  42. F1 is a weird place.

    Talented drivers get booed and booted. Seems like completely failed drivers are driving the market forces.

    While he’s a great and funny personality on tv, Vettel is not a good racer. Exposed by Dan and exposed by Charles, he can’t drive in a competitive field.

    1. I think he was amazing in Toro Rosso and Redbull. in Ferrari, not that much. I hope he can bounce back, I used to be a huge fan

  43. This one is incredibly painful. He did a lot of the grunt work developing the car and the team. Just when I thought he would finally get a chance to fight it out in front this happens. I’ve never liked Vettel but I’m even more bitter considering how poor Vettel has been performing the past two seasons.

  44. There have been far worse pay drivers than Lance Stroll.

    Perez is no better than a rusty Hulkenberg at the end of the day.

    The irony is that Perez is effectively a pay driver himself.

    1. Right now i cant see how vettel is a better choice than checo

    2. Jose Lopes da Silva
      10th September 2020, 10:00

      Lance Stroll is not a pay driver, he is a Team Owner.

  45. Meh. One of the worst cases of nepotism that i am aware of.
    Perez is by far a better driver than Stroll and i suspect Perez has been slightly average this season due to him being aware that he was losing his seat.

  46. This was the worst kept secret in Formula One, but unfortunately, it seems Perez was deluded enough to trust whatever Lawrence Stroll and Otmar Szafnauer were feeding him.

    He would have learnt a valuable lesson through this situation – NEVER EVER trust an employer. These are people whose selfish interests are paramount above yours, and would stab you in the back in the blink of an eye if it served a purpose for them – NO MATTER what sacrifices you have made for the company.

    I learnt this lesson over 20yrs ago, and i hope Perez has learnt his.

    Now it’s time for Haas to sack both its drivers and bring Perez into the team. If Perez drove each car on alternate weekends, he’d still end up with more points for the team than both drivers currently do.

  47. Anti-Stroll comments here, anti-Stroll comments there, “Vettel should quit” comments here, “Vettel should quit” comments there…
    I mean honestly what are we doing?

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