F1: Sergio Perez Renews Contract With Force India for 2019
Racing Point Force India confirms the Mexican driver will stay on board next season, and the team’s second driver is already believed to be known.
Formula 1 team Racing Point Force India confirmed Thursday in a press release that it will retain its driver Sergio "Checo" Perez for the 2019 season.
"I am very happy to finally announce my future and I'm really motivated for 2019," stated Perez in the team's release. "Force India has been my home since 2014 and has allowed me to grow as a driver and show my skills on track. We have achieved so much success in the last five seasons but I think the best is yet to come. The new investment the team is enjoying fills me with confidence and I am really excited about the future."
The new investment to which Perez refers is likely the financial consortium led by Canadian fashion mogul Lawrence Stroll—father of Williams driver Lance Stroll—which closed a deal on the team's assets in early August to secure its financial stability. Lance Stroll is reportedly seeking a way out of the foundering Williams team, and with his father now in a position of authority at a more competitive outfit, Lance is expected to partner Perez at the team, though Force India has yet to confirm whom its second driver will be in 2019.
If Stroll vacates his race seat at Williams for a Force India drive, it leaves open the question of who will partner George Russell at Williams. Because his contract is a "multi-year" affair, Sergey Sirotkin is expected to retain his seat there, though one Spanish publication alleges he will be displaced by none other than Robert Kubica.
Amidst all this, Force India's current driver Esteban Ocon is expected to be without a seat for the 2019 season.