It seemed inevitable. Everything pointed towards this but we still had that hint of uncertainty given how late in the year it was. But it’s finally here, the announcement we’d all been waiting for: Sergio Perez will drive for Red Bull Racing in 2021.
Perez had finished his innings with Force India/Racing Point and was without a seat for 2021 after the Abu Dhabi GP last weekend. The Mexican driver has been in the sport since 2011 and has been a consistent performer for just about every team he has driven for. His podiums have been few and he only recently secured his first F1 win at the Sakhir GP. This would be the first time that we’d get to see Perez in a front-runner team and we’d be excited to see what he brings to Red Bull with his vast experience.
Sergio replaces Alexander Albon who has had a rocky season full of missed opportunities with a smattering of unforced errors. While the youngster was certainly a likeable character but it seems that the only candidate to play teammate with Max Verstappen had to be someone more experienced. Perez is the first driver for Red Bull since Mark Webber who is not from the team’s driver program. However, Albon has been retained as the team’s test and reserve driver who’ll be helping develop the 2022 contender. Considering Sergio’s contract is for one year only, Albon still has a shot to be on the grid in 2022.
The chance to race for a championship-contending team is something I have been hoping for since I joined F1 and it will be a proud moment to step onto the grid in Red Bull colours.
Sergio Perez
Having taken our time to evaluate all the relevant data and performances we have decided that Sergio is the right driver to partner Max for 2021 and look forward to welcoming him to Red Bull Racing.
Christian Horner
As fans of Sergio from his days at Force India, we are eager to see how he fares in the RB15 next year. It might be too much to expect him on the top-step with Mercedes’ dominance but we could see a lot more of him on the podium. Stay tuned and subscribe to be updated on our latest content from the world of F1 and cool cars.
The Auto Loons 