F1i talks to Sergio Perez: ‘We knew it was going to be hard’

So far, it’s been anything but an easy campaign for Sergio Perez and SportPesa Racing Point. But after last year’s near-death experience for the pink squad, the Mexican driver knew pretty much beforehand what 2019 would entail.

In a sense, it’s been a season of renewal for the ex-Force India squad, its tenacious members now working on a clean foundation, void of any financial nooks or crannies thanks to main investor Lawrence Stroll.

However, while a positive wind of change blew through the Silverstone-based team’s factory twelve months ago, Racing Point’s 2019 contender wasn’t sourced from a clean slate.

Szafnauer sure Racing Point will recapture ‘best of the rest’ spot

Unfortunately, Perez and teammate Lance Stroll were forced to start their season with a car conceived in the summer of 2018, at a time when uncertainty – and limited resources – surrounded the debt-ridden former Force India outfit.

Perez, whose actions last summer put Force India into administration and led to its salutary takeover by Stroll’s investment group, always knew the team would have its work cut out for it in its rehabilitation year.

“You know, we were coming to a point in time where things were looking very, very hard, very difficult within the team to continue like this,” Perez told F1i in an exclusive interview in Hungary.

“So, we wanted to get that done and get the organization back in place to make sure everyone could keep their job.

“Apart from the name and the owner, it’s still the same team, just with more budget and growing perspectives for the coming years.”

©RacingPoint