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Sergio Perez has dropped the strongest hint yet that he could be on his way out of Force India, saying that he needs to move teams to fulfil his ambition of being a world champion.
The 26-year-old is in the prime stage of career and he understands that if he does not take a chance with a top team now, he may never get another opportunity.
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"I know that to become a World Champion in Formula 1 I need to move further up the grid," Perez told GPUpdate. "Whatever happens, whether the opportunity comes or not, who knows. It's going to be difficult, realistically."
Perez joined Force India in 2014 after being ousted by McLaren after a single season. That lifeline given to him by the team is something that Perez says will always be important to him.
"This team, no matter what happens, will always be in my heart. What Vijay [Mallya] did for me to save my Formula 1 career, and the whole team since I arrived here, is huge," he said. "I think one of the best things about me is that I've already been in a top team in F1, and I know what it's like working in a top team."
Despite his previous spell at a top team not lasting long, Perez thinks that his McLaren experience is actually a positive for him, and the situation he finds himself in now is different.
"I think I have learned hugely, how to be a leader of a team and how to work with the big teams, so that's a big difference, the way I motivate people and the way I work with people," he said.
"Obviously I'm not the same guy as I was three years ago. I've grown not only in age, but as a driver and a person, the way I see life and the way I see the sport."
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Posts: 625
That will rule him out of Williams then. Realistically, there are only 3 teams who could possibly fulfill his expectations, and one of those is backsliding...Best stay at F.I. and hope Ferrari can move forwards after 2017..