McLaren team boss Zak Brown has confirmed that Sergio Perez is one of four drivers under consideration for their second seat alongside the already confirmed Carlos Sainz Jr.
If picked, it would be Perez's second stint with the British team, having already driven for them in 2013 when he joined from Sauber to partner Jenson Button. That ended with Perez leaving after just a single season to join Force India.
Brown believes Perez would be a good candidate for the team but says McLaren are keeping their options open as the driver market is a particularly complex one this season, with talk of several mid-season swaps following the recent takeover of Force India.
"We think Sergio’s a good race car driver," said Brown. "He’s raced here before.
"I think the driver market is fluid and you need to keep all your options open. We have a shortlist of about four drivers, and we think Sergio is an excellent driver and deserves to be on that list.
"Ultimately sometimes, you’re in a position where you can take that decision, and sometimes, some decisions are made for you. Maybe someone’s going to announce a driver that’s on our list tomorrow morning, so you just need to be prepared to keep your options open for anyone you would consider, and Perez is someone we’d consider to drive for us."
Brown suggested a fresh approach to its driver line-up could be beneficial for McLaren given its current struggles.
"Sometimes it’s good to have experience within the team. Sometimes it’s good to have fresh experience outside of the team, because they can bring that experience with them on maybe what a better race car feels like. I think it’s all about a combination.
"Certainly, if you go with young drivers, they’re lacking experience, it’s something you need to take into account. And also Fernando [Alonso], we hope to have stay at the team in some shape or form, so there’s different ways to bring experience within the race team."
Amongst McLaren's other options are Stoffel Vandoorne, Lando Norris and Esteban Ocon.
It's believed Vandoorne's chances of retaining his seat are slim, whilst Brown favours Formula 2 youngster Norris. However with Lance Stroll set to jump in a Force India seat next season (or maybe this season) and Perez having signed a deal with Force India for 2019 already, Ocon could be set to miss out.
Mercedes are reportedly pushing for McLaren to take Perez – which would see them buy out his contract – in exchange for Ocon remaining at Force India, which is set to have closer ties to Mercedes next season through a similar customer deal to Ferrari-Haas.
But that would mean losing Norris – who would likely be picked up by Toro Rosso – as the Britain has a clause in his McLaren deal that states he's a free agent if there's no seat for him at the team next year.
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