F1: Sauber Denies Ferrari Moving To Poach Perez

Formula 1

F1: Sauber Denies Ferrari Moving To Poach Perez

Team boss Peter Sauber says Sergio Perez remains firmly in his team's camp despite whispers of interest from Ferrari...

SPEED Staff / GMM | Posted March 23, 2012 GMM Newswire

Team boss Peter Sauber (Right) and driver Sergio Perez (Left) are in their second season together. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Peter Sauber has added his own denial to rumors Sergio Perez could be imminently headed to Ferrari.

The Mexican driver played down the speculation at Sepang on Thursday, as did Ferrari, amid reports the famous Italian team is contemplating replacing the struggling Massa with its development driver.

But a flaw in the rumors is that Perez, 22, is under contract to Sauber for 2012.

"No one has spoken to us," team boss Sauber, when asked about the Perez/Massa switch, told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

All eyes will be on Massa this weekend in Malaysia, after Ferrari agreed to change his chassis following a dire performance a week ago in Melbourne.

Michael Schumacher backed his former Ferrari teammate.

"If you look at all the winter testing I think it was very clear that the two drivers (Massa and Fernando Alonso) were very close together," he said.

"So to see the big difference that we saw in Melbourne, I can only assume there must have been something not right for him."

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