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Did Sergio Perez Fly to Mexico to Also Save His Seat at Racing Point F1?

Published 08/02/2020, 8:03 AM EDT

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The reason behind Sergio Perez taking a trip back to his home country of Mexico was to spend time with his mother. Besides, Perez had got the green light from Racing Point to return to Mexico and had done so, only after having taken the necessary precautions. Nevertheless, he contracted the virus and, as a result, has been ruled out from the British Grand Prix.

However, new reports have emerged, suggesting that Perez’s trip to his homeland wasn’t only born out of the desire to meet his family.

On the contrary, he was there to negotiate a business deal. One which would have got Racing Point additional funding.

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Was Sergio Perez trying to do his level best to ensure he retains his seat with Racing Point for the next year?

According to RaceFans.net, “Perez hopes that a boost in Mexican funding would see him retained. Key to all this is BWT, the team’s primary sponsor. (They) insist that cars and kits be painted a particularly gaudy shade of pink in exchange for $20 million in annual funding.

“Team owner (and Aston Martin Chairman) Lawrence Stroll is said to be concerned that the current livery clashes with the more macho image of the James Bond brand, and would prefer to drop the water treatment company after the name change.”

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Unless you have been living under a rock, you’d know that Perez’s future with the Silverstone-based outfit is far from certain. Despite having a contract with them for next year, Perez can practically hear an out of contract Vettel breathing down his neck. There have even been ‘loose talks’ between the 4-time World Champion and Racing Point.

This pressure may have lead Perez to step forth and assure the team that he could convince Carlos Slim to loosen up his wallet. Slim, the world’s fifth-richest man, is already a benefactor of Racing Point.

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If Perez could get Slim to pump $10 million more into the team, Racing Point could drop BWT and the dreaded pink color scheme. Additionally, as a reward for his efforts, Stroll could allegedly let Perez stay on for 2021.

That was reportedly the master plan. However, we’ll only know if the plan came to fruition next year. If this indeed was the reason for Perez to go to Mexico, then for the sake of Perez’s health, we hope that all the hard work hasn’t gone in vain.

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Written by:

Ronan Carvalho

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Ronan Carvalho is senior F1 author for Essentiallysports. Ronan is currently pursuing his Journalism degree from St. Xavier's College.
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