Add Sergio Perez to possible 2021 Options for Haas F1 Team

Ousted Racing Point F1 driver Sergio Perez has suddenly made it to the short list at Haas F1 Team and likely any other team that may be looking to make changes for 2021.

Racing Point surprised Perez this week with the news that he was being replaced by Sebastian Vettel, and Perez claims he only found out about his Racing Point-Aston Martin ousting on Wednesday. That mean he is joining F1 ‘silly season’ notably late.

Perez’s appearance on the open market for 2021 also means a little extra competition for Haas’ current drivers, Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean. Perez, despite missing two races after testing positive for coronavirus, has scored 34 points this season. That’s more that Haas F1 has scored as a team over the 2020 and 2021 campaigns combined.

“I don’t know what it will mean for Perez to be on the market now,” Magnussen told the Danish BT newspaper at Mugello. “I don’t worry much about it but there is fierce competition in the driver market at the moment and you can never be sure of anything in Formula 1.”

Haas team principal Gunther Steiner does not hide that the small American team has “a lot of options” for 2021, having already said the three Ferrari juniors are among them. But there is also Perez, Nico Hulkenberg, Daniil Kvyat and others. Steiner says his list now includes “almost 10” drivers overall.

When asked about Racing Point refugee Perez on Thursday, Steiner said: “We talk to everyone. There were already many names on the table and the table is getting fuller every day.

“It’s always good to have a choice.”

Team owner Gene Haas, who does not attend many races, was at Monza a week ago and Magnussen revealed that Haas will also be at Mugello this weekend.

“We have not scheduled a definite meeting yet,” said Magnussen. “But I think we should get started soon. I think the team knows what I can do, so this race will probably not be so crucial. But I always have to do well, and of course that’s what I intend.”

Meanwhile, Red Bull Racing consultant Helmut Marko denied that Perez is a candidate for either of the Red Bull teams, amid rumors of contact with Perez’s manager Julian Jakobi.

“Christian Horner is in constant contact with Julian Jakobi,” Marko said. “But that is because Jakobi also works with our simulator driver Sebastien Buemi.

“We are not looking for a new driver at the moment,” he added. “As long as (Alex) Albon continues to progress, we don’t need a new driver.”

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