In principle, the driver occupation at Racing Point / Aston Martin is fixed for 2021. Sergio Perez has a three-year commitment and Lance Stroll, son of team owner Lawrence Stroll, has a contract.
However, there is a chance that four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel will enter in 2021, which means that one of the current drivers will have to find work elsewhere. It is generally assumed that in that case Perez is the child of the account, but team boss Otmar Szafnauer indicates that this does not have to be the case at all. Perez’s loyalty to the racing stable is greatly appreciated within Racing Point, he says.
“The fact that he has a signed contract plays a key role which means we keep him,” he said in front of several media outlets, including RacingNews365. “Sergio has always been loyal to us. He has been here for a long time. He is a great racer, works well with the team and works well with Lance and he helps Lance, so I am sure all of those factors come into play.”
This does not detract from the fact that Lance Stroll was in charge of his higher-profile team-mate last weekend in Hungary, both in qualifying and in the race. That makes a longer stay of the Canadian at the race more plausible, if Sebastian Vettel did indeed sign the team that previously existed as Jordan, MF1 Racing, Spyker and Force India and will be called Aston Martin next year.
“Last weekend was exactly what Lance needed for confidence,” said Szafnauer. “We have always known that he has the talent and the speed. You will see that there are good performances now. I am also sure that we have not seen the best of him.”
With the collaboration of Dieter Rencken.
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