Sergio Perez has signed on to a multi-year deal and will race with Force India for the 2014 season and beyond.

Perez has been enduring a rough season in comparison to his teammate, Nico Hulkenberg (who has also signed on to Force India for 2015), who sits three spots ahead of him in the championship in P9.  Sergio Perez has 47 points this year and just one podium to show for after 18 of the 19 races this season.

We’re especially pleased to have agreed a multi-year deal with Checo, extending beyond 2015. We’re looking forward to more success together!
— Sahara Force India (@clubforce) November 22, 2014

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Perez commented on the contract deal, saying “It’s good to announce my plans.”  His announcement comes some 33 days after his teammate.  He added, “I feel at home here and I’m fully committed.”

Perez has qualified 13th for the final race of the year at Abu Dhabi, and he’ll be looking to finish the season on a good note.  Just six points out from 11th place Kimi Raikkonen, a good result for Perez could see him itch up one more spot in the championship this year.  

The Force India team principle, Dr. Vijay Mallaya, also released a statement regarding the Mexican’s contract signing:

Sebastien Saavedra finished the 2014 IndyCar series Driver’s Championship in 21st place, only finishing in the top ten once this year.

We’ll be doing a statistical breakdown of all of the drivers who ran in the 2014 IndyCar season, starting from the back of the points standings and ending with the championship winner, Will Power.  To view all of the driver breakdowns, click here.  

The Year

Sebastien Saavedra had a season to forget in 2014, never finishing a race above ninth.  Saavedra did achieve one pole position start this year, which came at the Indianapolis G.P. (which he would crash out of on lap one). His best result came at Long Beach where he was able to put his KVAFS racing machine into the top ten and lead three lap during the race.  Birmingham was the only other track where he was able to lead laps in 2014 (14 in total).

Crashing and mechanical failures were both big troubles for the Colombian.  He crashed out in two of the races in 2014 and had mechanical failures in another three.  All but one of these DNF’s saw him finish outside of the top 20, causing him to lose valuable points.  

Sebastien Saavedra has no official plans or drive for 2015 yet, but his future in IndyCar is questionable after finishing outside 20th in the standings for the fifth year in a row.

Form Guide

Three promising young drivers, Adderly Fong, Roy Nissany, and Esteban Ocon, took part in a two day test in Valencia, Spain to test out the Lotus and Sauber F1 cars.

Fong and Nissany both did 99 laps in the Sauber C31 around the F1 circuit this week.  Fong has raced in championships in both Europe and Asia, this year focusing on the Audi R8 LMS cup.  

Fong talked about the experience after, saying “I am very happy that I had the opportunity to test the Sauber.  I have achieved my objective to complete 300 km without making any mistakes and at a good speed.”

“The car was fantastic to drive, it is a brilliant piece of machinery.  With so much horsepower and high downforce, it is a difficult car to learn, but I was able to improve lap by lap.”

“I really want to thank Sauber and Ferrari for providing me such a good package today,” he added.

Nissay drives in European F3 series, and said that the test “was and amazing day.  It was my first time driving a Formula One car, and it felt great.”

“I am very happy with today’s outcome, not just from my side, but also from my team’s side, as everyone works very professionally.”

Ocon, a member of Lotus’ junior team, described the test day as going “really well.”

Alan Permane, Lotus’ operations director, said Ocon, “drove exceptionally well over the course of the last two days, completing every task we asked of him.

“It’s clear he has a lot of talent as he was quickly up to speed and looked comfortable in the car.  His feedback and aptitude were very promising.”

“I’m sure we will see him in an F1 car again before too long.”

Nico Hulkenberg will drive for Force India in 2015, his team confirmed Monday morning via Twitter:

We are pleased to confirm that @NicoHulkenberg will race with us for the 2015 season! http://t.co/vr7duNvXwU pic.twitter.com/ZmiET2GdIO
— Sahara Force India (@clubforce) October 20, 2014

Hulkenberg is currently eighth in the drivers championship and is within striking distance of Jenson Button.  The German is having his best season to date with Sahara Force India, scoring points in all but three of the Grand Prix’s this year.

Vijay Mallya, Force India Team Princiapal, commented on the announcement, saying “Everybody in the team is delighted to see Nico remain a Sahara Force India driver for next season.  We rate him very highly and he has done a tremendous job this year by consistently picking up crucial championship points.“

“He’s a true racer and he knows how to motivate the team,” he added.

2015 will be Nico’s fourth year at Force India, racing with the team in 2011, ’12 and ’14 so far. Hulkenberg moved over to Sauber in 2013 only to finish with a disappointing 51 points.  

Nico released a statement about his decision on Monday, saying “This is a team I know extremely well and we’ve enjoyed a great year together with some special results.  The team has big ambitions and I believe we can have a competitive package once again next year.”

Force India currently sits 20 points out from McLaren in the constructor’s championship with three races left.  

“I have a good feeling for 2015 and there is a lot to be excited about as we try to build on the results we have achieved this year.”

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