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Sergio Perez on Thursday said he has no concerns about the safety of his Force India car. In Hungary, both the Mexican and his teammate Nico Hulkenberg suffered catastrophic failures aboard their otherwise more competitive 'B' spec machines.
Asked about the suspension design following his roll-over crash, Perez told reporters in Belgium: "Yes, I'm sure all the problems are behind us. The team is completely ready for the weekend," he added at Spa-Francorchamps. "The engineers told me in detail what happened. During the race we also had problems with the front wing but, as I said, they are all solved and in the past."
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On other matters, Perez admitted he was "surprised" with Ferrari's news that Kimi Raikkonen has been re-signed for 2016, even though he understands the reasoning about stability. Asked if he has given up his dream of ever wearing red, Perez answered: "I still have a very good relationship with Ferrari. In the past, I was even very close to getting to drive for them. In formula one you never know what is going to happen in the future."
"At one point, Stefano (Domenicali) told me to stay one more season in Sauber, then go to Ferrari. But I got the offer from McLaren," revealed Perez. Asked if he regrets his ultimately ill-fated switch to McLaren, he said: "No. At the time, McLaren was winning regularly and many drivers dreamed of being with this team."
"Then the situation reversed. Of course, now I realise that the decision seriously damaged my reputation, especially when you stop with a top team after only one year. But now I believe that thanks to the results in the past and also this year, I may get another opportunity to go to a top team in the future," said Perez. (GMM)
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Replies (3)
Login to replycalle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Well, not sure if I could see Ferrari hiring him, to be honest. He's improved, for sure, but there are better drivers on the grid. If anything he damaged his own reputation by being quite accident prone a la Maldonado while at Sauber and McLaren, I fail to see how McLaren damaged his reputation.
khasmir
Posts: 893
True, he's good but there are better ;)
Don't think he meant it was McLaren itself that damaged his reputation but being cut from a top team after just one season is never a good thing. Just look at Magnussen, not much hope for him I think.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
That I can agree on, but ultimately it is up to him if he want to take the offer from a team or not. Magnussen were mostly quite impressive, so I would really like him to get a chance with a team. Dont think Haas will take him, but I dont think they'd regret it, if they pair him with a more experienced driver at least. :)