F1 News: Red Bull May Hire Sergio Perez For 2021 Lineup

Sergio Perez’s Formula 1 career may still have life despite the driver not being too optimistic in recent weeks. Red Bull Racing, the second-best team in F1, are yet to confirm Max Verstappen’s teammate for the 2021 campaign but according to Sky Sports’ Ted Kravitz, the team may have already made the decision to hire Perez, who won his first F1 race in the 2020 season’s penultimate race in Bahrain.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner had made it clear that any decision on the second driver will only be made after the conclusion of the 2020 season, which came to a close on Sunday in Abu Dhabi. Alex Albon, who drove alongside Verstappen in 2020, was given ample opportunity to stake his claim for the seat but the Thai driver seems to have failed despite a strong showing in the final race.

Mexico’s Perez, who was contracted to Racing Point for 2020 and beyond, had his deal terminated after the Silverstone-based team decided to pursue Sebastian Vettel, who became a free agent following his release from Ferrari. Until recently, it looked like Red Bull will stick to their policy of promoting from within the team rather than look outside, but they seem to have changed their tactic following Perez’s impressive 2020 campaign, which saw him finish 4^th in the Drivers’ championship.

“We are expecting an announcement maybe in the next coming week that Sergio Perez has joined the team,” Sky Sports’ Kravitz said on Sky F1 during his post-race show Ted’s Notebook. “And Alex Albon will stay on as a test and reserve driver.”

“It does look like Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have managed to convince Dietrich Mateschitz [owner of Red Bull], who wanted to keep the faith with Alex Albon, to sign Perez.

“It seems like there is nothing to lose [signing Perez]. They may as well see how it goes [with him] and if he can’t do the job that they want him to do then they’ve Alex in reserve. That seems to be the elegant solution Red Bull has gone with,” he added.

Perez has been in F1 since the 2011 season and has previously spent time with the Sauber F1 team, while also enduring one disappointing campaign with McLaren in 2013. He resurrected his career with Force India, which is now Racing Point. The Mexican, 30, has 10 podiums and one race win under his belt. If his move to Red Bull is confirmed, he is certain to have the opportunity to increase his tally during the 2021 campaign.