Perez: Racing Point like 'being with a wife you are divorcing'

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Sergio Perez says his final months with Racing Point feel like being with a wife he knows he will soon divorce.

Perez has been excluded from Racing Point's plans for 2021, the Silverstone-based outfit trusting four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel to lead its efforts under the Aston Martin banner next season alongside Lance Stroll.

However, the split with the Mexican, who has been racing for the team since 2014, has so far been cordial. But as he concludes his partnership with the pink squad, Perez admits feeling a change of sentiment, likely not unlike the atmosphere that governs the relationship between a soon to be divorced couple.

"It’s really strange, it's like being with a wife that you already know in two months’ time you’re going to get divorced," Perez told Britain's Channel 4.

"I’ve been here for so many years before and in similar positions, different positions, it’s just part of the game.

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"I come here, I do my job on-track and off-track, I have to make sure that I deliver 100%.

"This team have been tremendous to me. We’ve been together for seven years, I have a lot of friends here, so I just want to finish my career with them on a high and that we always remember our time with a lot of pride."

Perez's productive fourth-place finish at the Eifel Grand Prix and super-sub Nico Hulkenberg's points pushed Racing Point up to third in the Constructors' standings.

Read also: Perez 'keeping all doors open' but no 2021 deal yet

The team's self-proclaimed ambitions, supported by its deal with Aston Martin and an adequate budget under F1's new budget cap rules, call for race wins in the future. Does Perez feel the outfit can reach the stars?

"I don’t know but I’m leaving [before] next year," he said with a smile.

"I think they definitely have a big potential coming up. I think they’re definitely going to be mixing it up with the big boys already from next year onward."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.