Three more years for Perez at Racing Point, who will again partner Stroll in 2020; Perez confident of "celebrating podiums" with team
Friday 30 August 2019 18:28, UK
Sergio Perez has agreed a three-year contract extension at Racing Point to secure his long-term Formula 1 future.
The extension means Perez is signed up until 2022, when he would complete his ninth season with the team.
The Mexican, who joined the team in 2014 from McLaren when they were known as Force India, had said before the summer break that a deal was close and it was confirmed on Friday at the Belgian GP.
"I'm very excited to extend my partnership with the team for the next three years," said Perez. "I've been working together with this group of people for a long time now and they have become my second family.
"Together we have enjoyed a tremendous amount of success and we share the same passion for racing. I have been impressed with the direction the team has taken over the last twelve months and that gives me confidence for the future.
"I believe the best times are still to come and I look forward to celebrating plenty of podiums in the years ahead."
Perez will partner Lance Stroll again in 2020 after Racing Point confirmed an unchanged driver line-up.
It represents the third 2020 driver announcement in the last two days. Mercedes confirmed Valtteri Bottas was being retained, while Renault signed Esteban Ocon, on Thursday.
Why Racing Point handed Perez long-term deal
Perez has become a mainstay at the Silverstone outfit, securing all five of their podium finishes since joining and finishing as their top points scorer in four of his five full seasons.
Points positions have unusually proved harder to come by so far in 2019, with Perez not scoring since finishing a fine fourth in Azerbaijan in April, but the Mexican believes the team will enjoy a stronger finish to the year.
Perez outpaced the Red Bulls to finish fifth on a strong opening day of practice for Racing Point at Spa.
"Over the last six years we have seen him become a very complete driver with excellent qualifying speed and exceptional race craft," said Racing Point boss Otmar Szafnauer.
"Sergio believes in the long-term vision of this project and getting his commitment until the end of 2022 gives us valuable consistency going forward.
"As the team continues to grow and develop it's important to have a driver with Sergio's level of experience, especially with new regulations on the horizon. The whole team is thrilled to continue working with Sergio and I believe we can enjoy great success together in the coming years."
