Perez to drive for Red Bull in 2021

Sergio Perez will drive for Red Bull in the 2021 Formula 1 world championship, the drinks-backed outfit announced Friday, reported Xinhua.

Perez, 30, replaces Alex Albon, after the Anglo-Thai driver endured a disappointing 2020 season in which he was overwhelmingly overshadowed by teammate Max Verstappen.

The decision to sign free agent Perez goes against the grain for Red Bull, who have a well-established junior driver program and have historically looked to promote talent from their sister F1 team AlphaTauri.

However, in recent years, Red Bull have struggled to find a teammate capable of matching Verstappen, and the depth of talent in their junior ranks has also been called into question.

For Perez, the move represents his best chance yet of regularly competing at the front of the grid, after a ten-season F1 career spent largely in the midfield.

Had Red Bull elected not to sign him, the Mexican would have been facing a year on the sidelines of F1, having been unceremoniously dropped by Racing Point for 2021 when four-time Sebastian Vettel became available.

However, despite the uncertainty surrounding his future, Perez continued to turn in impressive performances, taking a fairy-tale debut win at the Sakhir Grand Prix and comprehensively outscoring teammate Lance Stroll - son of team owner Lawrence Stroll.

With all other seats on the 2021 grid now filled - assuming Lewis Hamilton agrees a contract extension with Mercedes - Albon faces a year without a drive, though he is likely to be kept on by Red Bull as test and reserve driver.