Sebastian Vettel made a "great decision" to move to "fun" Racing Point - Perez

Racing Point

Vettel made a "great decision" to move to "fun" Racing Point - Perez

Four-time F1 champion replaces Mexican as team becomes Aston Martin for 2021

Ewan Gale

Thursday 10 December 2020 14:21

Racing Point driver Sergio Perez believes Sebastian Vettel has made a "great decision" to join the team for 2021 and believes he will have "fun".

Perez has been ousted in favour of the departing Ferrari driver as Lawrence Stroll's team transitions into the Aston Martin era.

The 30-year-old, who has been with the team for seven seasons, leaves the team on a high after scoring his maiden F1 victory in the Sakhir Grand Prix at the weekend, becoming the first Mexican to clinch a win for 50 years.

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With the team on course to finish third in the constructors' championship, Perez has suggested Vettel will be piloting one of the best cars on next season's grid.

"Seb has definitely taken a great decision," he said. "He is coming to a team of pure racers, to a team that he will definitely have a good time and will enjoy it.

"The most important thing is he will have some good fun. I have no doubt that the team will be one of the strongest next year and he will definitely have a fantastic car."

In the aftermath of Racing Point's stellar triumph in Bahrain, Ross Brawn stated that Vettel would have "big shoes to fill" when making the move to Perez's seat.

Perez, however, downplayed the comments, claiming it was just the nature of the sport that such comparisons are made.

"I actually saw those comments," he added. "I thought big shoes to fill for a four-time world is hard to imagine versus a guy who has just won a race but in a way, that is just Formula 1.

"Titles and victories don't mean a lot because it is so much down to the level of cars you have in your career."