The Renault Formula One team have set their sights on current Sahara Force India driver Sergio Perez for the 2018 season. But according to French daily newspaper L’Equipe, who reported the news of the Renault-Perez deal, the Mexican could be in line to join the team in the middle of the 2017 season. These reports are flooding in following a string of disappointing results from Renault’s second driver Jolyon Palmer. Renault Sport team boss Cyril Abiteboul has admitted that their patience is running out with regard to British driver Palmer.
“We all need to have results,” said Abiteboul. “Nico shows that the car is able to score points, and Jolyon must also contribute. We are extremely supportive and there is no plan, but we are in an ultra-competitive environment and everyone has the pressure of results. For now we give ourselves time to analyse the situation,”
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However, this move may seem to be a bit of a stretch because Force India will not release their most consistent driver so easily. The Mexican has finished in a point scoring position for 15 races in a row. That streak was broken at the recently concluded Monaco GP on Sunday. It is also a possibility that ‘Checo’ will wait to see how the 2018 driver market will play out. Should Ferrari opt to not renew Kimi Raikkonen’s contract, Perez (a former Ferrari academy driver) could pounce at the opportunity to put on the scarlet overalls. But if he does take the Renault deal, he will find himself reuniting with German driver Nico Hulkenberg.
With this, silly season has officially flagged off as drivers try to convince their teams to retain them or convince teams to take them on. What the future holds for Sergio perez and Jolyon Palmer will remain shrouded in mystery for a while.
