Displaced Racing Point F1 driver Sergio Perez has suddenly made it onto the shortlist of the Haas F1 team and likely any other team that seeks changes for 2021.
Racing Point surprised Perez this week with news that he was replaced by Sebastian Vettel, and Perez claims he only learned of his crash from Racing Point-Aston Martin on Wednesday. That means he’s entering the F1 season particularly late.
Perez’s appearance on the open market for 2021 also means additional competition for the current drivers of Haas, Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean. Perez has scored 34 points this season despite missing two races after testing positive for coronavirus. That’s more of what Haas F1 achieved as a team in the 2020 and 2021 campaigns together.
“I don’t know what it will mean for Perez to be in the market now,” Magnussen told the Danish BT newspaper in Mugello. “I’m not really worried about that, but there is strong competition in the driver market right now and you can never be sure in Formula One.”
Haas team boss Gunther Steiner does not hide that the small American team has “many options” for 2021 after it has already been said that the three Ferrari juniors are among them. But there are also Perez, Nico Hülkenberg, Daniil Kvyat and others. According to Steiner, his list now includes “almost 10” drivers in total.
Sergio Perez has scored a goal in all six races he started in the 2021 Formula 1 season. He missed two races after testing positive for Coronavius.
Bryn LennonGetty Images
When asked about the Racing Point refugee Perez on Thursday, Steiner said: “We’re talking to everyone. There were already many names on the table and the table is getting fuller every day.
“It’s always good to have a choice.”
Team owner Gene Haas, who doesn’t take part in many races, was in Monza a week ago and Magnussen announced that Haas will also be in Mugello this weekend.
“We haven’t planned a definitive meeting yet,” said Magnussen. “But I think we should start soon. I think the team knows what I can do, so this race probably won’t be that important. But I always have to do well and of course I plan to.”
Meanwhile, Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko denied that Perez is a candidate for one of the Red Bull teams amid rumors of contact with Perez’s manager Julian Jakobi.
“Christian Horner is in constant contact with Julian Jakobi,” said Marko. “But that’s because Jakobi also works with our simulator driver Sebastien Buemi.
“We are not currently looking for a new driver,” he added. “As long as (Alex) Albon is making progress, we don’t need a new driver.”
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The post Add Sergio Perez to the possible 2021 options for the Haas F1 team first appeared on monter-une-startup.
