Sergio Perez will remain in Formula One until at least 2022 after Racing Point confirmed a new three-year deal for the Mexican driver.
Perez has been at the team since 2014, when it was known as Force India, and has claimed five podiums for the Silverstone-based outfit in that time. The former McLaren driver is considered one of the unfulfilled talents on the F1 grid but will now be given the chance to stay at the team through 2021's regulation change -- billionaire team owner Lawrence Stroll hopes to use that to springboard Racing Point to the front end of the grid.
The news was announced on Friday, meaning another piece of the 2020 jigsaw puzzle has fallen into place following a busy Thursday of announcements ahead of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.
Perez will continue into next season with Lawrence Stroll's son, Lance, who became his teammate ahead of the current season.
#ChecoAnnounced 🇲🇽🥳
— SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team (@RacingPointF1) August 30, 2019
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Perez said: "I'm very excited to extend my partnership with the team for the next three years. I've been working together with this group of people for a long time now and they have become my second family.
"Together we have enjoyed a tremendous amount of success and we share the same passion for racing. I have been impressed with the direction the team has taken over the last twelve months and that gives me confidence for the future. I believe the best times are still to come and I look forward to celebrating plenty of podiums in the years ahead."
Racing Point CEO and team boss Otmar Szafnauer said: "We know Sergio very well and it's great to confirm him on a long-term deal.
"Over the last six years we have seen him become a very complete driver with excellent qualifying speed and exceptional race craft. Sergio believes in the long-term vision of this project and getting his commitment until the end of 2022 gives us valuable consistency going forward.
"As the team continues to grow and develop it's important to have a driver with Sergio's level of experience, especially with new regulations on the horizon. The whole team is thrilled to continue working with Sergio and I believe we can enjoy great success together in the coming years."
Over the past few years, Perez has established himself as one of the unfulfilled talents on the grid. His breakout season was supposed to come in 2013 with McLaren, but his arrival there coincided with a dramatic downturn in form -- McLaren's last grand prix victory was the race before Perez joined, the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix. He was given a F1 lifeline in 2014 by Force India boss Vijay Mallya and has since played a key role in the team's successes, while he also helped trigger the process which saved the team during the summer break last year.