Formula 1: Perez future still up in the air

Baku, June 22, AZERTAC Despite Sergio Perez insisting that he is happy at Force India, the Mexican driver has refused to confirm where he will be racing next year, according to planetf1.com. Perez, who claimed third place at the European Grand Prix in Baku, has been constantly linked with a drive to Ferrari, where he will likely replace current racer Kimi Raikkonen. On his future, the former McLaren driver has humbly claimed that the only think he can hope for next season is that he is still in F1. “I am very happy where l am. I am enjoying it, l love this team. What happens next year? I just hope l am in Formula 1, but who knows where,” the 26-year-old told Sky Sports F1. “It is too early to talk about the future.” Moving up the pecking order at Force India, deputy team principal Bob Fernley is confident that Perez will be their driver in 2017 but admitted that things could change, especially with Ferrari lurking around. “I think he’ll be be with us next year,” Fernley told Reuters. “In this business you can never be 100 per cent sure about anything but l would be comfortable to say that he will be with us.” Adding to Raikkonen’s deal at Scuderia expiring at the end of the year, Nico Rosberg, Jenson Button and Felipe Massa are also out of contract at the end of the season.