Checo Pérez confirmó que correrá con Red Bull Racing en 2021: “Estoy feliz” / Sergio Perez signs for Red Bull as Max Verstappen F1 team-mate for 2021 season

El piloto mexicano será compañero del neerlandés Max Verstappen para la siguiente temporada de la Fórmula 1

Después de un 2020 turbulento en el cual tuvo que enfrentar a la COVID-19, a la incertidumbre tras su salida de Racing Point y dio una de sus mejores temporadas, este 18 de diciembre Sergio “Checo” Pérez fue anunciado como el nuevo piloto de la escudería Red Bull Racing para el 2021 en la Fórmula 1.

A través de su cuenta de Twitter, el equipo publicó un pequeño video en donde le daba la bienvenida al piloto, mientras que este también hizo oficial su llegada al equipo: “Estoy feliz de compartir esto con todos ustedes, en 2021 correremos con Red Bull Racing”, escribió Checo Pérez.

Por medio de un comunicado, la escudería detalló que Checo será compañero del neerlandés Max Verstappen, mientras que Alex Albon seguirá siendo “un miembro importante del equipo”, aunque asumirá “el papel de piloto de pruebas y reserva de Red Bull Racing con un enfoque clave en el desarrollo de 2022, en el trabajo en simuladores y las pruebas de neumáticos”.

Sergio Perez signs for Red Bull as Max Verstappen F1 team-mate for 2021 season

Sergio Perez lands one of the grid’s big seats to secure his Formula 1 future as Red Bull team-mate to Max Verstappen; Alex Albon loses a race seat for 2021 but remains with team as test and reserve driver

Sergio Perez has landed the coveted second seat at Red Bull next to Max Verstappen to stay on the Formula 1 grid for the 2021 season.

Alex Albon is retained by the team in a test and reserve driver role.

In a break with recent Red Bull tradition, Perez becomes the first driver to join the team from outside their own young driver programme since 2007. Perez, 30, was in September dropped by Racing Point for Sebastian Vettel for 2021 but has enjoyed the best season of his F1 career – and finally won his maiden grand prix at the 190th attempt earlier this month at the Sakhir GP.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner said: “Alex is a valued member of the team and we thought long and hard about this decision. Having taken our time to evaluate all the relevant data and performances we have decided that Sergio is the right driver to partner Max for 2021 and look forward to welcoming him to Red Bull Racing.

“Alex remains an important part of our team as Test and Reserve Driver with a key focus on 2022 development and we would like to thank him for his hard work and contribution.”

Albon has spent the last year and a half at Red Bull after a rapid promotion from AlphaTauri but struggled next to Verstappen wake, being outqualified by the Dutchman at every race in 2020 and scoring fewer than half his team-mate’s points.

Red Bull had been keen to give the 24-year-old Albon as much time as possible to show he should keep his race but two third-place finishes and a strong drive to fourth in last week’s Abu Dhabi GP have not been enough to retain his race seat.

With two race winners back on their books for the first time since Daniel Ricciardo’s exit two years ago, Red Bull are set to field a more formidable line-up when they look to mount a more sustained challenge to Mercedes next season.

Red Bull’s announcement means Mercedes are actually the only team with a seat left open for 2021 – although Lewis Hamilton’s new deal at the world champions remains a formality.

CONFIRMED 2021 FORMULA 1 GRID… SO FAR

Mercedes: TBC and Valtteri Bottas
Red Bull: Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez
McLaren: Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris
Aston Martin: Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll
Alpine: Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz
AlphaTauri: Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda
Alfa Romeo: Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi
Haas: Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher
Williams: George Russell and Nicholas Latifi
By James Galloway