Perez confirms McLaren exit at the end of the year

2014 F1 season

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Sergio Perez has confirmed he will not drive for McLaren in 2014.

Perez joined the team from Sauber at the beginning of the season. McLaren’s development driver and Formula Renault 3.5 champion Kevin Magnussen has been tipped to take his place.

“First of all I would like to thank McLaren for giving me the opportunity to be with them this season,” said Perez in a statement.

“It has been an honour for me to have been in one of the most competitive teams in the sport and I do not regret even a bit having joined them. I have always given the best of me for the team and still despite this I could not achieve what I aimed for in this historic team.”

“I am committed to deliver very good results in these last two races, especially in Austin,” he added. “I am so much looking forward to see all my people gathered together, feel their energy and show them the best of me.”

“I would like to say to every single one of my fans around the world and in my country that I am eternally grateful to them. They have never let me down, especially in difficult moments like these. I truly appreciate their support, they have never forgotten me.”

“I have met a lot of new people at McLaren this season and I have made many good friends as well. From the top management level to the marketing, accounting and engineering departments to the mechanics, the cooks, the catering people and basically everyone in the team, I am eternally grateful to them. It has been a learning experience to me.

“I would like to wish the team the very best in the future. I will always be a fan of McLaren. In the meanwhile I will be looking at my future to ensure my best position in the best possible package to fight for wins.

“Thanks to McLaren and all of its partners this season, you can rest assured that I will never give up.”

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Image © McLaren/Hoch Zwei

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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166 comments on “Perez confirms McLaren exit at the end of the year”

  1. I am disappointed for Perez but not really surprised given the recent rumours.

    1. @formula-1 very dissapointed aswell. I still mantain that his performances haven’t been specially bad considering the circumstances. Neither he nor Button did well, and neither got the chance to do well either. The car was just a complete failure.

      It’s hard to compare drivers when one has been a multiple GP winner with the team on his 4th year at the same factory with the new guy that wasn’t even in F1 when Button joined McLaren.

      But (and it’s a big one) they are replacing him because they feel there’s a Vettel/Hamilton in the making in the shape of Magnussen, good for them. We’re all very vocal about how the best drivers should have the best lineup, and if the rumours are true, then it’s good news for F1.

      On a sidenote, a bit harsh on mexican fans who might lose the Mexican GP and just about lost their main driver’s seat ahead of their second “home” GP.

    2. In my opinion it is good for Formula 1 that “hudlums ” like Perez and Maldonado are dropping down or out of the grid. Motorsport is a gentlemans sport. If you want to see sluggers, go watch boxing. I will not miss Perez, not one bit.

      1. I think you’re living in the past dude. I wouldn’t call Perez a reckless driver, just absent minded at times and eager to prove himself. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy who
        was given a far-below-expectations car which required miracle racing to really shine in

  2. So Kevin Magnussen to McLaren, Massa to Williams and Maldonado out.

    Lotus, be sensible about this.

    1. Perez to Lotus would be awesome for both, but The Hulk has the upper hand. And I’m pretty sure Sauber will hire Sirotkin in the end. Not that I agree with that, Checo returning there wouldn’t be so bad if they’re able to get together a good car (something which the guys at Hinwill have proven capable of doing)

    2. As much as i hate to say it, i can’t see 30 million with a bald venezuelan short of a drive next year, that’s almost half the budget of the two young teams.

    3. Would really love to see Perez or Hulkenburg at Lotus over Maldonado. Maldonado has speed and passion, but the aggresiveness of his attitude bothers me, though I would feel sad for him to end up in a Marussia or a Caterham. I prefer the enthusiasm of Perez and would be more bummed to see this year at McLaren being the pinnacle of his career. Hulkenburg also desperately deserves a chance in a top performing car before he becomes the next Barrichello or Webber.

      1. Perez, Hulkenberg and Maldonado have all had a single race where they have run up front for a significant number of laps and been in serious contention for a win; Perez in Malaysia, Hulkenberg at Interlagos and Maldonado at Barcelona, all in 2012. Only Maldonado held his nerve and took his one opportunity to win.

        In Perez’ case he was closing in on Alonso for the lead when he ran wide and squandered a very good chance of a win. Hukenberg was leading in Brazil when he spun, letting Hamilton through before clattering into the McLaren at the first corner when he tried to get back past the McLaren. Watching Maldonado leading at Barcelona with Alonso closing in on him I was expecting the pressure to get to him but he just soaked up the pressure lap after lap and won brilliantly.

        I’m not arguing that this alone makes Maldonado a better candidate for the Lotus seat, he’s certainly got a few mistakes in him, but I do struggle to see what makes Hulkenberg and especially Perez more deserving of the drive. Add money into the equation and personally speaking, if I were Eric Boullier I would choose the mad Venezuelan. I think Maldonado to Lotus, Perez to Force India, Hulkenberg staying at Sauber with the security of Russian investment and DiResta out on his backside would be an entirely fair line-up next season.

        1. I think Hulkenburg deserves a drive in a top team, i know he clattered into Hamilton at interlagos but that was in a much weaker car plus some of drives for Sauber this year have been very assured especially Monza, For me he would be the first candidate for mclaren

        2. Perez in Force India will be good though I personally feel Button is also not deserving of a seat. Kimi in a Macca in his sign off season will be awesome and cant be ruled out

      2. I agree. Maldonado is passionate, which is great, but he has had many extremely aggressive moves and crashes that were down right stupid. Far more then Perez I believe. And who can forget the incident between him and Hamilton at Spa (last year?). Running into another driver on purpose should get you a race ban. I really don’t want to see him in F1.

        1. Poor Hamilton, he seems to have been the favorite target last year for these sophomore year drivers (Maldonado at Spa, Hulkenberg at Interlagos).

        2. Webber did a similar side swipe on Vettel after the whole Multi 21 debacle and I don’t remember as many people whining about it.

      3. @jmwalley

        Maldonado has speed and passion, but the aggresiveness of his attitude bothers me

        That is the exact thing why Hulk is favorite .

  3. So, is that a confirmation of Magnussen then?

    Also, I’m not overly surprised after all the speculation over the last few days, but I still think dropping him after a year is a bit harsh. Having said that, he didn’t exactly out do Button in qualifying, which he should have done, and he had good races but also bad races.

    1. Everyone seems to think that. I wish for once I would hear a Hülkenberg-to-McLaren rumour. Not to be, I guess.

      1. @erikkennedy My thought pattern as well. It seems that Magnussen is for certain, but surely they’d try to poach Hulkenburg if they could and then put Magnussen up in Force India, or something like that.

        1. I have a feeling that McLaren dont rate Hulkenberg that high. Think I remember someone mentioned that he spoken to a certain team principal about it, with it being hinted between the lines that it was Withmarsh.. Think it was James Allen..

          1. Maybe button dont like hulk to join the mclaren,because hulk will destroy him in qualifying and maybe in race

        2. I strongly suspect McLaren tried to get Magnussen in a midfield/backmarker team but discovered it was too expensive (€10m seems to buy you a ride at the back these days). I doubt Magnussen’s salary is going to be all that high; not as much as paying for a seat elsewhere anyway.

      2. @erikkennedy
        Yeah, considering they’re always saying they hire the best two drivers available, well, Hulkenberg’s available.

  4. Don’t forget the possible openings at Sauber and Force India!

  5. Well Perez got burned for no reason here. :/ I fail to see how Magnussen could have done or will do any better with the quality of the car at Perez’s disposal. Perez will find it hard to find a seat now, unfortunately.

    1. I very much doubt that. Sergio Perez has the backing of Carlos Slim, the wealthiest man in the world. He could bring in more money than Maldonado if necessary.

    2. Well, maybe you need to read up a bit:
      http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/24903504
      The evidence is almost conclusive that Magnussen is faster than Perez already. He has also significantly increased his consistency to the level of a more mature driver.

      Keep in mind that McLaren has spent more than a decade with a strategy based on “the new lightning kid”. Kimi was the first and it wouldn’t be fair to blame him for not taking any titles in that period. Next it was Lewis who did manage a title and when he left prematurely they went for the promising Perez.

      I believe that Magnussen was always the new prince to be and though McLaren had probably expected to keep Lewis, get Magnussen a rookie year somewhere else and probably oust Button when enough certainty about Magnussen had been gathered, the tables turned on them when Lewis split.

      I don’t understand why people are so eager for McLaren to give Perez another shot. He hasn’t shined as they expect from a lightening kid and to see if he can slowly gather more pace over another season is not only expensive but risky in the sense that they could lose what they believe is the next lightning kid. With Vettel, Abikisi, Lewis and Räik signed off – all they need to know is that Mag is a better bet than Checo and it certainly seems so. They have no doubt analyzed the situation much more thoroughly than we can even imagine.

      If the rumors are true that McLaren are indeed trying to head hunt Abikisi for 2015 it will not only be a fantastic shoot out between the Ferrari aces but also between Mag and Button to keep the other seat. However, if McLaren are as uncompetitive as this year I doubt that there will be a figure large enough to lure Abikisi their way.

      1. Abikisi? A new codename for Alonso?

      2. I don’t understand why people are so eager for McLaren to give Perez another shot. He hasn’t shined as they expect from a lightening kid and to see if he can slowly gather more pace over another season is not only expensive but risky in the sense that they could lose what they believe is the next lightning kid.

        @poul

        I think people are upset because he wasn’t that much worse than Button. If Hamilton or Alonso were his teammates as Mclaren, it would be obvious to drop the new kid who couldn’t deliver as opposed to the veterans who are on top of their game.

        People are upset that out of the two mediocre drivers in the Mclaren line up, they are dropping the one that was new and relatively inexperienced. Perez isn’t great, ut he has more potential than a washed up Jenson

      3. It’s Akibsi. Unless it was dark there is no reason for you to do that

    3. Completely agree, his machinery was nowhere near up to scratch. I think he deserved at least another year to prove himself.

  6. When the music stops, it’s increasingly likely that there is going to be somebody left standing up.

    The likes of Perez, Maldonado, Hulkenberg, di Resta are all fighting for a diminishing number of seats. All of them have done enough to deserve to remain in F1 in my opinion, and it will be sad to see one or more of them go.

    1. Di Resta? Really? He’s had a few good races and then either fails to make himself visible in all the others or crashes (as is the case multiple times since Spa). If any of the 4 drivers you mentioned have NOT earned a seat next year, it’s di Resta.

      1. Really?
        I’d say it’s Maldonado.

        The supposed king of qualifying that we saw last year has disappointed greatly this year in qualifying. He’s struggling to get his car out of Q1, and is barely outpacing Bottas, a rookie, in qualifying, at all.
        And that is discounting Bottas’ Montreal 3rd.

        Maldonado may have scored 100% of Williams’ points, but he hasn’t stood out, at all, this year. At least Di Resta has had some performances that raised some people’s eyebrows.

        1. Actually, yeah I’ll agree with that. But they’re both awful.

          1. @mhop Good one…

          2. @nick-uk Just winding you up. Seriously, though, di Resta generally matched Hulk last year and has significantly outperformed Sutil this year. How can you say he’s awful?

            This year in clean races Sutil has only finished ahead of di Resta once: at the very first Grand Prix in Australia, and that was only because of team orders!

            In contrast di Resta has been ahead in Canada, Germany, Japan, India, Abu Dhabi, and was ahead in Malaysia, Singapore and Korea before retirements.

            In qualifying head-to-heads di Resta is also leading, and that’s in spite of FOUR (!!) team/strategic errors at Malaysia, Monaco, Canada and UK. Take them out the equation and he’s 9-4 ahead in qualifying. Furthermore in recent races di Resta has also been sacrificing more qually pace for race pace.

            I think di Resta deserves to keep his seat.

          3. looks like mmmbop loves PDR

        2. “Maldonado may have scored 100% of Williams’ point…” Point, not points ;)

          Sadly… Better car and results next year!

      2. I don’t see how di Resta is worse than Perez or Maldonado. The collision at Spa wasn’t his fault. Yes, the following three races were a disaster but the season consists of nineteen races. And Di Resta has been more than decent in most of them. Given how many potential points he lost because of his team’s mistakes during the first half of the year, he has done really well and convincingly outperformed his more experienced team mate, too.

        1. The fact that nobody wants him is a sing IMHO

          1. Well FI haven’t decided on their driver line-up yet so it’s too early to say that nobody wants him. Moreover, many talented drivers get overlooked today because of different considerations.

          2. @girts but even when 4 seats in top teams are changing nobody have even said his name as a candidate should be a good of how those teams think of him.

            Red Bull – let´s said that beside Kimi, Toro Rosso have that one the bag
            Lotus- Nobody has mention him, Hulk is pretty much the one getting the attention there
            McLaren- Nobody has mention him, Magnussen and Hulk are the ones people are talking about
            Ferrari- Didn´t even aproach him.

            So at the best Di Resta is considered a middle of the field driver, maybe will be better if a new talent (Stoffel Vandoorne) will take the seat.

          3. @celeste Apparently Vandoorne should join GP2 next year and I hope he will fare well in an experienced field (I don’t see lots of change in GP2 for next year) and join F1 the following year.

            I wouldn’t be surprised if DiResta is dropped. And I’m quite glad to see so much movements in F1 this year, good to see faces move around … Okay it’s always questionnable but DiResta and Maldonado have done their time. Wouldn’t be a shame to drop them

          4. @jeanrien

            Okay it’s always questionnable but DiResta and Maldonado have done their time. Wouldn’t be a shame to drop them

            Me neither, I would gladly receive a new exciting driver for any or both, and Max Chilton can go too IMHO

        2. De resta, I just don’t see why he should keep his seat. He’s had there seasons and he’s not done badly by any means but he’s never done anything that makes you think “wow that was brilliant”.

          Grosjean, Hulkenberg, Maldonado and Perez have had some blinding races where they have been excellent. I’ve never seen anything from De Resta that would make me keep over a fresh faced rookie like a Magnussen or even a Bianchi.

          So most likely I think a total clear out at Force India, possibly a total clear out at Sauber.

          Grosjean & Hulkenberg > Lotus
          Maldonado & Russian money boy> Sauber (They need money)
          Perez & Colado(Maybe?) – Force India
          Magnussen to Mclaren looks like a done deal.

  7. Perez will go to IndyCar, just wait for it…

    1. That would be sad, but he would be welcome. Would love to see a character of his calibre set that series aflame. Am tired of Dixon and Power and the other nonsense that came with the IndyRacing League. More Andrettis, Villenueves, Zanardis, and Montoyas (Hooray for that one at least), would make me watch IndyCar again.

      1. I can said lot´s of things about Perez, but not that he is character

      2. We have a new Montoya with Carlos Munoz. Pretty sure he’s going to be on Andretti’s squad next year.

        1. @somethingwhittyer we have a new Montoya in Montoya next year, he’s making a comeback!

  8. I still say this has as much to do with something behind the scenes as it does evaluating the performance of Perez over the whole season in a dog of a car. Something with the rumored Carlos Slim money or something like that. Maybe it will come out in time.

    1. @bullmello Maybe Slim comes out with a team of his own ala Dietrich Matechistz

  9. Last year I thought McLaren were doing a mistake taking Perez on board. Now that he is going it just doesn’t feel right after only one year of uncompetitive car they have produced. Any way, they know better than me and McLaren needs and has to be at the top again next year.

  10. I’ll miss the excitement of “imminent wheel-banging action” when Perez was about to pass someone.
    He failed to meet expectations and is now paying for it.

    1. More wheel banging tension than action . All his so called “elbowing” has added disrepute to whatever he did last year . Actually to think of everything he did last year with Sauber ,bagging the points ,chasing Alonso .He was touted as the next best thing . Then he went to Mclaren and got advised to elbow his way . Why do I get the feeling that Mclaren is a recipe for disaster every time a new driver goes there .

  11. I demand to know why! He has been performing strongly with a car that doesn’t suit his driving style of late. Oh, I get it, the Telmex money has dried up. And does Kevin Magnussen deserve to be parachuted into a top team? OK, he’s been awesome this year, but he was nothing to write home about last year, and rather out-competed by Frijns, Bianchi, Sorenson and of all people Antonio “the bridesmaid” Da Costa. Hardly Lewis Hamilton reborn…

    1. Well Magnuessen is not parachuted, he earned it, at least McLaren think he does.

      Checo hasn´t being performed as strong as McLaren wanted him to, nothing more.

      1. Can’t understand why people are still clinging on to Da Costa, he is a closed chapter man

        1. Agree Da Costa had a bad season, and Red Bull (Marko) said that he was crushed under the pressure.

    2. The FR3.5 field this year was of awesome quality, and Magnussen destroyed it. I think that says something about his quality. Yes some of the same people out-competed him last year, but clearly he got his act together to string a campaign together. I think mainly though a mentality change looking at the big picture, which he himself has also talked alot about. I for one think that we should be glad that for once a new driver is coming into f1 through merit and not because of the thickness of his wallet!

      1. Fact is he got out performed last year, big talents show alot straight away he did not. I bet Frijjns is better

  12. Perez and Hulkenberg at Force India would make an explosive combination and if they can pout up a good car then the top teams must keep a check on rearviews for orange white and green cars. Though there is a very small chance for this to happen, I am hoping it will and midfield teams like FI, dauber and Williams give the top teams a run for their money as it would generate a lot of interest amongst fans and general poublic alike. The predictability is ruining the sport.

    1. @bharat141 Would love to see Narain Kathikeyan grab a seat in this melee

    2. +1 mate. My personal dream team at Force India will be Hulkenberg and Grosjean. But, Checo and Hulk is also an excellent line-up. Plus, Force India have been developing their 2014 challenger from April, so they maybe the darkhorses in 2014,

  13. Somehow I feel this was destined to happen… McLaren, I think are way more into preparing for 2014 and beyond and this was an off year for them, hence they took Perez to fill the boots for a year…

    1. +1, I thought so at the begining of the season, this car is a transition design between the 2 stages, they never meant for it to get podiums (but if they fall on their laps, all the better), I wonder if other teams had this agenda going on at least one car, at least at times, every now and then, I mean Lotus had 2 different cars at times (no secret there) and most teams had performance disparity between their cars for no reason other than “bad driver days”. it’s creepy, I know. If this is true, then magnussen will put Mclaren, square in the midfield ahead or behind Button, the way Checo could not do, if we are to believe their rationalization, but if they move forward up the field with both drivers next year……what? suddenly drinking Red bull gave them wings?

    2. the question now is where will perez head to ?

  14. Humm, that’s not the same statement I read on GPUpdate

  15. Hulkenberg saying no to Lotus seat suddenly (according to Autosport) could be an indication that a deal has been signed elsewhere, most probably Force India.

    Magnussen to McLaren seems likely but needs an official confirmation, but there may still be a surprise as Martin Whitmarsh said that they are talking to many drivers. Maldonado is probably going to Lotus.

    Sutil should be elbowed out from Force India. Hulk and DiResta where matching each other when they were together, Sutil has scored half the point DiResta has scored this year. Not good enough.

    Perez goes back to Sauber, the all Mexican team gets loads of cash from Carlos Slim. Dont forget doubts keep coming up about their financial status every now and then.

    Final Lineups (From what I speculate)
    Lotus-GRO-MAL
    Force India-HUL-DIR
    McLaren-BUT-MAG
    Sauber-PER-GUT
    Sutil-Out

    1. Are sauber supposed to field a Russian rookie named sirotkin in 2014? I dntnsee his name in your predictions

      1. Sirtokin along with Guttierez seems very difficult. Too little experience there. With Hulk he might have had a chance. For Sirtokin to come Guttierez has to go

        1. @rahul1810 Now that is more probable to happen

    2. @rahul1810 Agree 100%. I think Hulkenberg and Maldonado’s positions are interchangeable (i.e. MAL could be going to FI and HUL could be going to Lotus), but I think you’re spot on generally.

      GRO-HUL, DIR-MAL, BUT-MAG would all be exciting line-ups to see who comes out on top.

      1. Hulkenberg saying no to Lotus seat suddenly (according to Autosport) could be an indication that a deal has been signed elsewhere, most probably Force India.

        That is one possibilty, but it indicates 3 things to me.
        1) Hulkenberg is declining signing with Lotus until their financial situation becomes more positive, if ever.
        2) He is smart enough to not burn his bridges with Sauber even if they have not yet paid him. He could possibly end up back with Sauber again to keep his F1 career going. What if he went to Lotus for 2 races and then due to financial circumstances or whatever, ended up with no ride for 2014?
        3) It could indicate that he does not yet have a solid offer for next season or has not made up his mind.
        I think at this time he made the right decision.

        Where Perez ends up next season is a difficult proposition. You wonder what sponsorship he could bring and sadly, that may be his most attractive feature after getting dropped by McLaren. The suggestion of IndyCar might not be that far fetched.

    3. Apparently, Sutil and Hulkenberg might swap seats for 2014. Di Resta will say goodbye to F1 after 3 mediocre seasons.

    4. @rahul1810 Hulk said no to lotus?? come to think of it, hulk may not be too keen to go to another team thats renowned for not paying its drivers

  16. I wish him the best for next season, he deserves at least a drive in a mid-team :)

  17. That’s a really sad statement.

    I know that F1 is not a beauty contest. If a driver is underperforming, he should try his luck elsewhere. Still, I’m sad that I didn’t get to see this cheerful guy smiling on the podium more often.

    Not all is lost and Perez might still find another race seat for 2014 and possibly further years. But it will be very hard for him to get back to the top.

    1. @girts I liked his 2012 campaign very much . Sad he has to go down the pecking order for next year .

  18. I really hope Perez finds a seat for 2014, he deserves to be in Formula One. I hope Sauber welcome him back, or maybe Force India could take him.

  19. That would be an excellent line-up.

    1. I don’t know why this comment has appeared here. It was a response to bharat regarding Hulkenberg and Perez in the same team.

  20. I think McLaren are doing the right thing here.
    Perez has by no means lived up to the expectations. If he had the necessary speed to be a replacement for Hamilton, as the main championship challenger, then he would have shown that capability, by at the very minimum at least beating Button in qualifying regularly.

    McLaren simply cannot waste their time with 2014 coming up. If they feel that Magnussen (or whoever they bring in) has what it takes to be the long term prospect, then they need to use the big changes next year to their advantage. Getting him in the car for next year, will mean that he has time to get up to speed, while all the other drivers also have a bit of adaptation and re-learning to do.

  21. With Grosjean likely stay at Lotus and Button and Magnussen at McLaren, there will be seven seats remaining for 2014 and if Sirotkin joins Sauber then only six. There are eight current drivers without a seat at the moment and there aren’t enough seats for all of them.

  22. I’m really glad that many of the F1Fanatic community feel bad for Perez, because he doesn’t deserve to get the boot. He has been slaughtered for some on the edge moves especially from Raikkonen fans, and has had some flak from the drivers. For me, he has made some brilliant overtakes, been a consistent points-scorer, and pulled off a couple of really good results. I don’t think he’ll have any trouble getting another seat. Force India or a return to Sauber would be suitable.
    As a McLaren fan, I really hope Magnussen (or whoever Perez’s replacement is) can the boost the team are in desperate need of, as I’m starting to doubt if it will come from the other side of the garage.

    1. Alejandro Casillas Moreno
      13th November 2013, 22:49

      If hiring PER was a mistake, MAG will be worst. McLaren is the biggest F1 team (at last english team). They need a new HAM (and of course another Newey) in order for Withmarsh not to be remembered as a loser.

      1. They need a new Hamilton but signing Magnussen (who has been dubbed the next Hamilton) is a massive mistake?

        1. @craig-o Let us wait for 2014 and see . What if Mclaren don’t build a good car in 2014 ? what then ? How will Magnussen perform ? It depends a lot on the car as well . This year’s Mclaren just lacked the pace and they couldn’t do much about it .

          1. @hamilfan well I expect him to beat Button regularly at least, something Pérez has done not frequently enough. But if McLaren built a bad car in 07 he still would have beaten Alonso in the same car which was what caught people’s eye.

  23. Wake up call ! So Mclaren is fifth or six in WDC money, looses Vodafone Mercedes sponsorship, pays for 2014 engines ?
    Couldn’t afford Lewis salary offering a cut as well as letting go paddy lowe due not matching salary offer already this yr, let alone couldn’t develop the car properly most likely for lack of funds and already tight for 2014, seems they also need a lot money but will never recognize it public.
    So that means Maldonado will drive for Mclaren till Honda jumps in if it happens.
    Lotus go for Perez/Telmex, Hulk back to FI, Sauber goes Russian and Diresta Goes compete with Webber.

  24. Perez is the Kovalainen. Except that Kov at least had a competitive Mclaren…

  25. the *new* Kovalainen that is!

    1. Wait a little he has to go down the grid to the bottom still, so far looks more like Alonso, Raikonnen …..

      1. Kimi didn´t get the boot, he went to Ferrari, and Alonso was already a two time WDC so not the same.

  26. I love the period in the headline. Makes it extra final.
    I think this is the best that could happen for Lotus.

    Because Quantum appears to have leaped, so Hulkenberg is out of the equation.
    And Maldonado is the one whose reprimands excessively eclipse his other achievements. Oh, and his sponsor is in the same industry as Grosjean’s.

    Enter Perez: a sponsor who actually pays, a nice home market and decent drives. I could see that happening.

    1. +1 PVDSA (or whatever it is called, the sponsor of Maldonado) and Total can’t both sponsor the same team so Perez to Lotus seems realistic, but I only heard he is in talks with FI and Sauber so we will see …

    2. Very good comment. Never noticed that PDVSA is actually a competitor of Total. So I would be surprised if that could work, Grosjean and Maldonado, in one team.

      1. When Petrov drove for them, they had Lotus, Renault and Lada on the same car, so never say never.

    3. The way I could see it working is that Total is Lotus’ fuel provider, which PDVSA wouldn’t be, they’d just be a sponsor. PDVSA were never Williams’ fuel provider either, Total were but without the sponsorship. But indeed it could be awkward.

      1. @deej92 That is a good comment to think about mate . Remember the rule about teams choosing their own fuel supplier in the coming years.

  27. I’m afraid McLaren took a gamble that just didn’t work. They took Perez in the hope that he was a new star like Raikkonen or Hamilton and with Vodafone disappearing next year they thought that Telmex would jump onboard as well. The car is bad this year so Telmex won’t pump money in the team, and on top of that Perez is not performing like McLaren wanted so now the gamble didn’t pay out they take another gamble with Magnussen

    1. I disagree. I don’t think there was ever a chance of Telmex being the title sponsor. Perez was hired on talent, not because of sponsors.

  28. I’m very disappointed for Checo. He didn’t deserve to be dropped.

    1. Sorry but he call it quits, Mclaren didn’t drop him and never admit public they done it, gamble was they never tought Checo will drop them so they use that leverage to get urgent sponsorship cash, only problem is it backfire big time ! Only remaining chance is PDVSA McLAREN TOONED

      1. That might be true. Maybe Checo has a deal in his pocket already and is leaving a sinking ship. His statement is just too nice and too polite …

      2. True, Maybe in McLaren rummors had the purpose of putting presure in negotiations with telmex, and Telmex prefer to change strategy leaving the team, with no Vodafone nor Mecedez suply I wonder where are McLaren going to get the money to develop a competitive car. I call it bad strategy.

        1. @paulmaster by which it has to follow that

          a) Mclaren is a sinking ship (I hope they prove me wrong as they are a historical team)
          b)Perez has got a good deal . which means Perez to Lotus ( with more sponsorship) and Hulk back to Force India ? ( while this is comfortable for Perez , it ruins it for Hulkenberg )

  29. I don’t understand why McLaren have shown so little faith in Perez. Ditching him after a single season seems massively premature. He’s been in a new team, with a substandard car, and he’s had a world champion team-mate. He’s scored valuable points for the team, shown an improvement in his racecraft throughout the season and has beaten his team mate both in qualifying and on race day several times. All in all not exactly a disaster. McLaren have been far more disappointing this year from a performance standpoint than Perez.

    I hope he stays in F1. I think he’s got enough talent and potential that he could go on to succeed, but he needs to be given a chance. It’s a pity that he’s going to have to go back to a smaller team so early in his career, and I hope that he can come up the field again but recent history – Kovalainen, Petrov, Glock, Liuzzi – suggests otherwise.

    1. McLaren have been far more disappointing this year from a performance standpoint than Perez.

      Nice one, sums it all up :)

      1. I’m indifferent to this whole Perez/Magnussen issue so let me suggest that since we can all agree that it is a fact he was in his first year in a substandard car, there must be more to it than that. We all agree he, just like JB, was handcuffed to do much, and have been colored by the car, as all drivers are.

        So there must be more to it than just pace, and I suggest it must be about SP’s ability, or lack thereof, to help progress the car. ie. all well and good to feel bad for him because the car sucked, but what did he do to advance the car? Not saying JB did much either, but…

        I also wonder if this is not so much about SP doing something wrong, but more about the greater potential they see in KM for possibly many reasons that are important to the team in the long term.

        I trust that Mac knows what they want from their drivers and why they have gone with KM. It might even be that they felt if they didn’t jump on KM now they might lose him to the competition.

        1. might lose him to the competition

          @colossal-squid i’d suggest that as part of the reason McLaren jumped on perez in the first place last year when he was a Ferrari driver and speculation was rife about him replacing massa

        2. @me262 I think Robbie has a point, there may be more to this than just Sergio’s performance on track. It’ll be a long time before we hear the truth though!

          What you say is intriguing. It’s like McLaren were entering into something that would be analogous to speculative real estate, but with drivers in order to deny certain talented drivers from going to equally large rival teams. However if this were true then they must have been quite confident in Sergio’s ability before they signed him. Magnussen must be something on the level of Vettel/Hamilton/Alonso for Perez to be dropped so readily if true, or there’s more going on behind the scenes as Robbie has suggested. Interesting!

      2. +1 Exactly what I think

    2. Well said! I totally agree.

  30. Well i hope McLaren suffer the same destiny that williams is suffering and never get back to their feet again.

    1. How very sporting. Missing Premier League much?

  31. This was expected by many, but not by me. Of course Magnussen is a great driver and has a bright career ahead of him, bot so does Perez. And with three seasons’ experience, one of which with McLaren, the new regulations for 2014 will be easier for Perez to overcome than for Magnussen. Surely, Kevin will start from 0 and won’t have to change his driving style, while Perez might, but Sergio has the bases to turn the car’s development in the right direction. Maybe they thought Button was enough for this, and they wanted to sign Magnussen to steal him from competitors? I think a début season at a lower team would have been better, to give him time to adapt and Perez time to improve.
    If they have actually had talks with Massa, this prompts the question as to whether he would’ve replace Button or Perez. If the former, that means McLaren need an experienced driver and a young one to be helped by him, but replacing him over and over again does not help get the results.
    If the latter, that means they would’ve signed another experienced driver. Then why get rid of Perez for a rookie? Or do they think Massa is faster than Perez and Magnussen?
    Best of luck to Sergio. Like Maldonado, and more than him, he deserves a seat in F1 and he has shown this year again some signs of his great speed. Perhaps his consistency was underestimated against his raw pace, and the opposite has turned out to be true.

    1. It might be that in fact the new regs will be easier for KM to deal with as he won’t know anything different to cloud his mind and body ahead of 2014…at least for the minimal running he’s done in a 2013 car. And you say SP has the basis to turn the car’s development in the right direction, but I wonder if, based on the lack of progress at Mac this season, that is what SP lacks that has Mac going another direction with KM. I acknowledge that JB’s presence has not exactly brought that car up to fighting for podia either, however, he does have the experience of being a WDC on his resume.

  32. The big question, now, is… How will they off Perez in Tooned?

    1. disappears into a sombrero or drinks a whole lotta tequila and hangover style!!

    2. @above . They don’t need to . They are doing old classics this year . Ya maybe for next year . BUt I doubt Sergio will audition for that episode .

  33. I suppose in a way, the biggest difference between Perez and Magnussen is that one is a longterm investment – and both Mclaren and red bull have shown that kind of investment can pay off.

  34. This both disappointing for Perez and worrying for McLaren. Rarely a good sign when an organization opts to change personnel that quickly – hope for them it’s only a glitch rather than a pattern. Mind, I didn’t think that hiring him was a good move in the first place – premature. It’ll do him good go back to a team like Sauber and get some more experience.

  35. It only took McLaren this long to realise their mistake. Should never have signed him in the first place. Been useless and inconsistent this year.

    Good riddance.

  36. This is such tripe. Poor Perez, he’s been given a total dog of a car and has taken the fight to JB. Two tyre blow outs cost him more points. Probably threw away 5th at Monaco by trying one too many dives but hey, at least he was trying to race which is what the sport is about. Outraced Button last two GP and looked to be hitting his straps. He should have been given a second season to prove his worth.

    Driver market wise, this makes things incredibly difficult to pick and I have a hunch someone at FI will have to go to make way for a Maldonado/Hulkenburg/Perez. Sauber won’t pair Sirotkin and Gutierez together. Lotus is a straight fight between Hulk and Maldonado. FI like Sutil so I think di Resta could be unlucky and miss out altogether. Stranger things have happened though, Karthikeyan drove in F1 and he was abysmal.

    1. I Agree, he lost some points trying to take McLaren where Belongs first 5 places. But he overtake much more than Button this seasson, he was increasing consistency, pace. Hope he can get Lotus Seat.

    2. @roodda Actually Karthekeyan was better in his first innings with f1 than in his second

  37. I don’t see how di Resta is worse than Perez or Maldonado. The collision at Spa wasn’t his fault. Yes, the following three races were a disaster but the season consists of nineteen races. And Di Resta has been more than decent in most of them. Given how many potential points he lost because of his team’s mistakes during the first half of the year, he has done really well and convincingly outperformed his more experienced team mate, too.

    1. Yes. Di Resta has beaten Sutil a lot, and has shown real quality, even if there were two or three race ending mistakes in the middle

  38. To me, the big picture and concern is the fact that F1 is doing a very poor job of managing itself. The legacy of Ecclestone’s shrewd business practices have permeated way too deep in F1. The richest russian hydrocarbon billionaire will buy seats for his protege’.

    While the pinnacle of motorsport has always been money hungry, for obvious reasons, there is something profoundly amiss with Formula 1 Ethos. This should be the place where, for the most part, racing talent would speak much louder than personal sponsorship.

    I am not sure if F1, with it’s current stakeholders can fix itself and go back to it’s purest mission. Ecclestone’s legacy, such as bribing people like Alain Prost, Eddie Jordan, etc… has brought F1 into disrepute. The knee jerk reaction of sacking Perez is just a symptom of something profoundly wrong with the “sport”

    1. Hm, I honestly don’t know if talent – if there is any substantial difference between the pilots at this level at all – is such a factor. The scope nowadays goes much wider than that. As a driver you do not only need to be a “system manager” rather than a driver, you also need to have PR skills, be diplomatic and all that. Those qualities, plus a whole lot of money to back you up, is what makes you a top F1 driver in this era. Look at Vettel. And Button. And Alonso. Those who slam doors too much, don’t make it in the end. Except Iceman of course, but he just wrecks doors completely, that seems to work as well ;-)

    2. I fail to see how replacing Perez with Magnussen has anything to do with money or rich russian hydrocarbon billionaires buying seats for their protege. The former comes with money, the latter dont, or if any only very limited.

      1. And I question the merit to the claim that ‘sacking’ SP was a knee jerk reaction.

  39. McLaren are once again proving masters of executing the simple things badly.

    They start off the year with a brand new design instead of refining the concept which gave them the fastest car last year. Then boasted about it before it ran on a track.
    They once again failed to understand the tyres, and once again missed the loopholes and design ideas which other teams have exploited.

    They lost their biggest sponsor and enigmatically decided not to announce a replacement until the end of the year, fuelling speculation that no deal was actually signed.

    They told the media button had a job for life, then sort of retracted it, then held off offering him a contact for so long that the press were asking him why no announcement had been made.

    They pushed Perez to race harder, but didn’t give him credit when he did beat button, and left both drivers out to dry with a dog of a car which bounces all over the track and is impossible to handle.

    Now they’ve decided to ditch Perez, but have allowed the announcement to leak out in whispers before his “home” race and basically publically derided their “number one” world champion driver as mediocre along the way to God knows what purpose. Meanwhile they’re publicly chasing a driver whose disloyalty almost shuttered the team and who has done nothing but vehemently expressed his dislike of them ever since he left under a cloud.

    The team boss announces that the new sponsor won’t agree to be unveiled in December as originally planned, but says he hadn’t spoken to his own pr department about the whole thing!

    What ARE these people thinking.

    1. Interesting when it is put this way.

      I don’t have a neutral opinion on the matter at the moment, but I would just like to comment that from what I know, McLaren treated Alonso just as, if not worse, than how he treated them. I guess that just adds on to the point though!

    2. Well said. Perez was definitely right about Mclaren they “lacked organisation and a little bit of humility to face the reality”. Hopefully Honda will bring a much needed revamp to Mclaren

      1. @f1freek Honda? That would be the Honda who had the second highest budget during the boom years and got nowhere? Who designed cars by committee in 3 locations? Who came up with earthdreams?

        1. Yeah Honda. You know the same engine manufacturer that with Mclaren won 4 consecutive titles with Prost and Senna…By the way it is very different running a team than being the engine supplier

          1. Of the two, the more recent incarnation is far more relevant.

            Your comment is like saying “Williams will win the championship next year because they had the best car in 92 and 93.”

    3. @hairs Perfect analysis . Hardcore Mclaren fans won’t agree . But it’s the truth .

  40. What a shame, Mclaren took the decision? If Mclaren did, what a stupid decision, he wasn´t good because he didnt had the car to compete! Remember 2012? He was good enough with a SAUBER. He wasn´t able to fight because he had a worse car than the Sauber, and now he´s out of the team?! If I were Whitmarsh, I would allow Perez to take another chance, with a BETTER car.

    1. But he has, in fact MW knows will be a while for a good car to come !

  41. I’m a huge McLaren Fan and the season of the Checo has been desapontoing.

    The team has inumerous tools to see the potential of a driver. The simulator is the best one.

    Perez has fail to understand the tecnical side of the car like Button, his performance has up and downs. He makes a lot a mistakes. Last year he show how to keep tire wear, this year he has been a tyre eater.

    He lives in another planet, sometimes he keeps quiet and don´t talk to anyone.

    Sergio Perez has potencial, but McLaren can´t wait.

    1. Let’s hope are not same tools they design 2013 car with !

      1. Same ones since 2009 :-)

    2. If Mclaren can’t wait then why are they keeping Button? With the testing restrictions how do you expect someone to get comfortable in a new car that fast, especially if its Mclaren’s current car.

  42. @celeste Boullier actually said that Di Resta was one of the candidates for 2014. McLaren and Red Bull have chosen their own youngsters so there probably wasn’t much Di Resta could do to get any of these seats anyway.

    For sure, I’m not saying that Di Resta is definitely better than Raikkonen or Hulkenberg now as there is no evidence for that. I also wouldn’t mind seeing Vandoorne on the grid. But I’m absolutely convinced that Di Resta deserves to stay in F1.

    1. @celeste Sorry for posting this here, I probably shouldn’t use my cheap phone to post comments on F1F…

  43. @celeste Sorry for posting this here, I probably shouldn’t use my cheap phone to post comments on F1F…

  44. New poster here – I sometimes post over at Joe Saward’s blog. I’m not really a forum person but this one is (far) better than any of the other discussion forums I’ve seen.

    Anyway, I’ve been following the moves of the various drivers and had always thought Maldonado would go to Lotus. As we all know, PM carries substantial sponsorship. However, I just saw an article that was originally published by Reuters on 12 Nov. The gist of it is PDVSA is going to “Issue $4.5B In Bonds”. The yield on the PDVSA benchmark bond is near to 15% which is…pretty much staggering. And Venezuelan bonds were routed on Tuesday. Basically, Venezuela is in deep, economic trouble.

    Going out on a limb here: given the fact that PDVSA has resorted to this measure, will PM even be on the grid next year? It might be difficult, politically, to justify throwing tens of millions at an F1 driver, when the country is in serious, economic trouble. In fact, is this the reason why Williams severed the relationship with him?

  45. For Lotus to keep at float they need get rid of Grosjean and hire Maldonado plus either Gutierezz or Perez for Sims money.

    Total money are not enough.

  46. It seems like a bit of a kneejerk reaction IMO.
    Kevin Magnussen was always going to end up at Mclaren and perhaps if 2013 hadn’t been so poor the ‘decision makers’ would have held off on bringing him in for another season. I guess after such a woeful year someone had to pay the price immediately. Maybe there will be heads to roll?
    Personally, I thought Checo did the best he could have considering what equipment he had and I enjoyed his
    enthusiastic attitude on track.

  47. i know theres been rumours but im still very surprised, he hasnt been that bad has he? maybe if they’d built a quick car this season he could have really proved himself, i hope he finds a drive somewhere else, hulkenberg to mclaren anyone?

  48. I don’t understand why button has a drive to be honest. Perez was barely given a chance. Button has underperformed for what 2 or 3 seasons now? Mclaren is my team, but I am very disappointed with this decision.

  49. I feel like this isn’t so much about Perez’s driving ability, but more about his backing. With Vodaphone giving up there title sponsorship next year, that made room for Telemex to come in as the title sponsor. If Telemex and McLaren couldn’t come to an agreement, then it would be out with Perez.

  50. I bet Perez is more dissapointed of McLaren Car, than McLaren is with the driver.
    I hope He can get Lotus seat and prove F1 is about real racing and not simulator ****.

  51. Mclaren tried to play mind games with Slim, and he called their bluff, hes not the richest man in the world because he gives away hes money, its the opposite, he has nothing to loose here, in the end he can buy Sauber if he wants and get a better deal and a descent car.
    Hes not going to give mclaren a zillion dollars to run a ****** car, just like it happened with Williams, another english team btw.

    1. This fits better, Kevin has a steep learning curve ahead in real life, I am sure Mclarens simulator is great, but not that great.
      Hamilton jumped shipped, This car sucks, and the sponsor’s money did not go as far as He would have wanted, if you pay for performance and do not get it…..maybe the sponsor dropped Mclaren. Checo did get more points and podiums at Sauber than he did at Mclaren, odd.

  52. I bet Perez is more dissapointed of McLaren Car, than McLaren is with the driver.
    I hope He can get Lotus seat and prove F1 is about real racing and not simulation

  53. Was Perez pushed or did he jump. It seems a little strange to me that Perez would be shown the door at McLaren just a few days before the Austin GP where there will be many Mexican supporters. Is this a case of “you can’t fire me because I quit”?

    Looking at Perez’s statement on his twitter account, it looks like he jumped! If this is the case then he must have something lined up, for sure! Anyone else think the same?

    1. @mojopixel Lotus looks perfectly feasible for Perez and so does FI .

  54. Although Perez’s season was poor, it’s not entirely his fault given the car’s performances, and Button’s results are hardly better (given his experience). I’ts very harsh nevertheless giving him the axe. He wasn’t given a second chance when Grojean has, despite reckless and dangerous driving in 2012. I hope he ends up in the sauber car next year.

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