Racing Point’s Sergio Perez has been in the news recently, for more than just his on-track performances. In the past week or so, many rumors about the Mexican’s potential exit from the Silverstone-based team have been doing the rounds.
Apparently, this is due to the fact that Racing Point (soon to transform into Aston Martin for 2021), has got their sights set on Sebastian Vettel. The mouth-watering prospect of an uncontracted 4-times world champion may be too hard to resist for a team on the rise. And unfortunately for Checo, he is deemed to be the fall guy. This leaves one question: what’s Perez’s next move?
Sergio Perez is reportedly in contact with Alfa Romeo; could he be a replacement for Kimi Raikkonen?
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According to the official F1 website, “Perez declined to name the F1 team who got in touch, but my sources suggest Alfa Romeo are the ones interested in recruiting the Mexican, in what would be a return to the squad – then known as Sauber – who gave him his F1 debut and put his star on the map. Principally with his mega drive to second in the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix.”
If a deal is indeed presented to Perez, it could be at the cost of Kimi Raikkonen. This is because Antonio Giovinazzi’s seat is protected by Ferrari. The Italian has a seat reserved for him at Alfa, on account of him being Ferrari’s reserve driver.
If Kimi were to retire at the end of the season when his contract expires, Alfa could not get a better replacement than Perez. Having been with the team before, he knows a lot of its staff well. Plus, he would bring with him his experience of nearly 200 races.
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Would Perez jump at the idea of being signed by the Swiss team? Probably not, but this is one of his only options left for 2021. However, he may not necessarily have to look at it as the team to end his career with. At 30 years, he still has plenty left in the tank. He could join Alfa for a year or two and wait for a better seat to open up.
The ball is certainly in the Mexican’s court. Where do you think Checo will end up in 2021?