7 drivers who can partner Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari next year

Sergio Perez

Another new entrant and rather surprising one has been Force India’s Sergio Perez, who has once again come into the limelight following his brilliant podium finishes in Monaco and Azerbaijan. The speculation regarding him joining prancing horse ignited when his father spoke about his son’s possible move there.

Since then, rumours have continued to persist regarding his future with Ferrari. With him also previously having been part of Ferrari Young Driver Programme, therefore, a move to the team remains a possibility.

Further, Ferrari might favour him due to his comparatively limited bargaining power in the contractual negotiations. This can be said, as signing up Ricciardo or Bottas, two drivers who are much more consistent and also having secured several strong finishes over the years, their bargaining power would obviously be much more, factoring in their achievements.

Perez on the other hand, even with his strong results, has been comparatively inconsistent during his career. Thus, he probably won’t be able to negotiate his contract on a scale on which perhaps Ricciardo or Bottas can. As Ferrari most likely wants Vettel to maintain supremacy in the team, bringing in a driver like Perez might actually be an option worth considering.

But a major detriment to his signing will be the fact that his contract with Force India extends upto the end of 2017, and thus Ferrari will have to pay a lot of money to take the Mexican through a buyout clause in the contract.