No 2017 announcement from Perez in Singapore

Sergio Perez says he won’t be making an announcement on his F1 future in Singapore, despite having previously indicated he wished to settle the matter by this weekend.

The Force India driver indicated at Monza he intends to stay where he is and his team principal Vijay Mallya claimed at the British Grand Prix Perez will remain at Force India in 2017.

However speaking to the media during today’s press conference Perez said the decision is not yet final. “I was hoping to be in a position to announce my plans for this weekend,” he said.

“Obviously we got some delays. But I really hope that before the next race we can definitely announce where I’ll be racing.”

“I’ve always said that I’ll be very happy if I can stay where I am,” he added.

Perez has been linked with other teams which are yet to confirm their 2017 line-ups, including Renault. Their current driver Jolyon Palmer admitted he needs to take advantage of the upcoming races to convince them to keep him for next year.

“Obviously the seats are in doubt, up for grabs,” he said. “So every race from now on is a chance to show what I can do.”

Palmer said he’s “driving the best I’ve driven all season at the moment”. “The results haven’t really shown in the last couple of races but I feel good within myself,” he added.

“It’s a track I really like, had some good success before, so hopefully keep on the good form at the moment. And I think this one will suit our car a little bit more as well. Hopefully we’ll be able to challenge a little bit higher.”

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