Force India ‘Confident’ Perez Will Be Back for 2017

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief

Sahara Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley believes that there is a strong likelihood that current driver Sergio Perez will remain with the team for the 2017 Formula 1 season.

Perez has been the center of much speculation this season, originally linked as Kimi Raikkonen’s replacement earlier this year at Ferrari until the Italian-squad re-signed the Finn, and now linked to a possible seat at the Haas F1 Team.

The 26-year-old Mexican has delayed his plans on several occasions and has recently stated that next week is “crucial” to his future.

Fernley answered some of the talk during Friday’s team principal press conference ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix by saying that the contract has been done and it is more of a matter of sorting out the details.

“The driver contracts have been completed for quite some time, as you know,” Fernley said.

“Vijay (Mallya) announced that some time ago and it’s literally dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s on the commercial side and if it takes a week, that’s wonderful, if it takes a couple of weeks, so be it.It’ll happen, we’re very confident that Checo will be with us next year. I don’t think we ever deviated from that.”

About Joey Barnes 600 Articles
Joey Barnes is the Founder of Motorsports Tribune, an outlet that began with the goal of helping aspiring journalists break into and grow the industry. A regular on the racing scene since 2013, the journey for Joey started by covering a Grand-Am event at Circuit of The Americas in his home state of Texas. He has since primarily focused on the IndyCar Series, with appearances in the garages of NASCAR, paddocks of Formula 1, IMSA and World Endurance Championship, while also occasionally engulfing clouds of dust at the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals and select Supercross rounds. With previous stops at Autoweek, IndyCar.com, Motorsport.com and RACER, among others, Joey evolved from the singular task as a freelance writer to advanced roles behind the copy desk and alongside some of the best editorial teams in the business. Recognized as a multi-time award winner by the National Motorsports Press Association, Joey currently resides in Dallas-Fort Worth with his trusty four-legged canine companion, Rocket.

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