Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley says he is “very confident” Sergio Perez will remain at the Silverstone-based squad for 2017.
Perez’s future has been a hot topic in recent weeks, as more pieces of the Formula 1 2017 puzzle fall into place.
The announcement of his plans for next season have been delayed several times, with Perez saying the next week will be “crucial” for his future in F1.
He has been linked to teams like Renault and, more recently, Haas F1 if he fails to negotiate the final commercial terms with Force India.
Fernley believes Perez will be back at Force India for a fourth season and says it the contract has been completed for some time, with final details being sorted out.
“The driver contracts have been completed for quite some time, as you know,” he said.
“Vijay [Mallya] announced that some time ago and it’s literally dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s on the commercial side and if it takes a week, that’s wonderful, if it takes a couple of weeks, so be it.
“It’ll happen, we’re very confident that Checo will be with us next year. I don’t think we ever deviated from that.”
