Aston Martin Would’ve Kept Sergio Perez if F1 Rules Allowed It: Szafnauer

Racing Point had a fantastic 2020 campaign with Sergio Perez as both finished P4 in their respective standings. However, Racing Point announced that Sebastian Vettel will replace the Mexican in their rebranded Aston Martin next season.

Perez drove impressively during the second half of the season and claimed his first race win at the Sakhir Grand Prix. As a result, the Mexican driver secured a contract with Red Bull as their second driver for 2021.

Aston Martin’s team boss Otmar Szafnauer believes Perez deserves the Red Bull and wishes him the best. However, expressed that if there was a possibility of entering three cars, they would have retained the Mexican.

“I wish Checo well, he has been a part of the family for a long time.

“He deserves a drive in Formula 1. He has exemplified and illustrated recently what he can do on a racetrack and it is unfortunate that you can’t have three drivers but that is our sport,” he stated.

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Szafnauer hopes to keep Sergio Perez behind the Aston Martin cars

Racing Point finished the 2019 season in P7 with 73 points. The team made great strides in 2020 as they scored 195 points and finished P4 on the standings. They lost the top-three finish to McLaren with just a seven points difference.

However, Szafnauer hopes to build on the momentum and leave Red Bull behind. “We wish him well and hopefully, we can race against him. It will be our goal to make sure he is behind us,” Szafnauer said.

Racing Point enters the grid as Aston Martin next season, as the British luxury brand makes its Formula 1 comeback after sixty-years. The team will hope to make the most of Sebastian Vettel’s vast experience and climb higher on the championship table.