Breaking news

Formula 1

Perez confirmed at Force India for 2016

Force India has confirmed Sergio Perez for a third successive season in 2016, giving the Silverstone-based team an unchanged driver line-up heading into next year.

Adam Cooper

Edited: Sep 23, 2015, 9:24 PM

Copy link

Share on Viber

Add as a preferred source

Sergio Perez, Sahara Force India F1

Sergio Perez, Sahara Force India F1 VJM08

Sergio Perez, Sahara Force India F1

Sergio Perez, Sahara Force India F1 VJM08

Nico Hulkenberg, Sahara Force India F1 VJM08 leads team mate Sergio Perez, Sahara Force India F1 VJM08

Sergio Perez, Sahara Force India F1 VJM08

Perez joined Force India for the start of 2014 after a troubled season at McLaren, which followed on from a two-year stint at Sauber.

And although Lotus, which is close to being taken over by Renault, had expressed an interest in Perez and his sponsorship, the Mexican had always indicated that his preference was for continuity and staying with his current team.

"I am very happy to confirm that I will be staying with Sahara Force India," said Perez, whose best result for Force India was a third place in last year's Bahrain Grand Prix. "It means I can simply focus on the important stuff – driving the car and scoring points for the team.

"Since coming here I’ve really grown as a driver and I feel I’m performing at my best. I’ve always said I want to establish myself in a team and it’s the right moment to announce my commitment for the future with Sahara Force India.

"I can feel the potential in the team and there is a good energy, which gives me confidence for next year. I think we can continue to deliver strong results and I will do my best to help drive the team forward."

Force India's team principal Vijay Mallya paid tribute to Perez's contribution to the team over the past two seasons.

“I’m very happy Sergio has committed his future to Sahara Force India," he said. "He’s done a fantastic job for us already and when we give him a competitive car we know he can get the job done.

"He’s also got a great attitude and never gives up – it’s that fighting spirit which fits well with this team. You only have to look at his results in the last three races to see that he is performing at the top of his game.

"It’s an exciting time for Sergio, especially with the upcoming race in Mexico next month, and with our close connections to the country I’m sure it will be a highlight for everybody in the team.”

Complicated negotiations

Perez's negotiations with the team were complicated by the fact that they happened in parallel with commercial arrangements, which is why Nico Hulkenberg's deal was done some time ago.

“One deal is more complex; there are commercial issues involved, whereas the other is a driver contract,” Force India's Bob Fernley told Motorsport.com in Monza.

“We have two drivers that get on well within the team, they're pushing each other all the time. Both of them are excellent racers. I'm not sure that we could do better, that's the key.

“I think that they are both very happy at Force India. Obviously Nico had a choice, and he's made that choice, and I think it's the same thing probably with Checo.

"Nico was out of contract, Checo's is a renewal.”

The news leaves Jean-Eric Vergne and Kevin Magnussen as the drivers most likely to replace Romain Grosjean at Lotus/Renault should the last-named be confirmed at Haas, as is expected.

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?

Take our 5 minute survey.

- The Motorsport.com Team

Read and post comments

Share Or Save This Story

Copy link

Share on Viber

Previous article Williams sure it can hold off Red Bull

Next article Perez: Renault switch was “a serious option”

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

View More & Comment

Latest news

Mercedes fined for George Russell skipping F1 Mexico GP media duties

Formula 1

F1 Formula 1

Mexican GP

29 min

Mercedes fined for George Russell skipping F1 Mexico GP media duties

Lewis Hamilton slams Charles Leclerc for "do or die" attitude after Mexico GP clash

Formula 1

F1 Formula 1

Mexican GP

1 h

Lewis Hamilton slams Charles Leclerc for "do or die" attitude after Mexico GP clash

Jeff Burton and Dale Jarrett blast Carson Hocevar: "That's not racing"

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Martinsville II

1 h

Jeff Burton and Dale Jarrett blast Carson Hocevar: "That's not racing"

Five things we learned from MotoGP's steamy Malaysian Grand Prix

MotoGP

Malaysian GP

Five things we learned from MotoGP's steamy Malaysian Grand Prix

Feature

Discover prime content

Lewis Hamilton needs “serious talks” with himself and his team-mate

Formula 1

Mexican GP

By Stuart Codling

Lewis Hamilton needs “serious talks” with himself and his team-mate

How Ferrari's loss became Max Verstappen's gain at F1's Mexico GP

Formula 1

Mexican GP

By Jake Boxall-Legge

How Ferrari's loss became Max Verstappen's gain at F1's Mexico GP

The seven moments that defined Kimi Antonelli's F1 title win in 2026

Formula 1

Mexican GP

By Jake Boxall-Legge

The seven moments that defined Kimi Antonelli's F1 title win in 2026

Why lap times in Mexico have been so much closer to the previous F1 era

Formula 1

Mexican GP

By Stuart Codling

Why lap times in Mexico have been so much closer to the previous F1 era

Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.

From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.

You have 2 options:

Become a subscriber.
Disable your adblocker.

Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here

Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page

Manage Alerts