F1: Sauber Signs Perez, Sponsor Telmex For 2011

Formula 1

F1: Sauber Signs Perez, Sponsor Telmex For 2011

GP2 driver Sergio Perez will compete for Sauber in Formula One next season...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted October 04, 2010 Balen (BEL)

Sergio Perez will bring sponsor Telmex with him to Formula One. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Sauber has announced that Sergio Perez will partner with Kamui Kobayashi next year, signaling the start of what the team calls a "partnership" with Mexican telecommunications giant Telmex.

Perez, who was beaten to the GP2 title by Pastor Maldonado, becomes the first Mexican in F1 since Hector Rebaque's stint with the Brabham team in the early '80s.

It's not clear yet whether that relationship will develop into a shareholding or ownership, but clearly getting the backing of the world's richest man - Carlos Slim - is something of a coup for Peter Sauber.

Having said that, the company has been very careful with its expenditure on Perez and Esteban Gutierrez as they worked their way through the ranks, and both youngsters have had to get the job done to retain their support.

In a team statement, Perez said: “Formula One is the dream of every young racing driver. And now this dream is about to come true for me. Although I’m very much aware that this is also a big challenge and responsibility, I’m happy to accept that and am proud to be representing my country in the highest category of motor racing. I would like to thank Peter Sauber for the faith he’s shown in me, and I’ll do everything I can to make the most of this wonderful opportunity.”

Peter Sauber added: “Sergio has been on a continuous upward curve over the past few years. He demonstrated his fighting spirit in races over the course of last season and proved that he’s ready to take the step up into Formula One. I look forward to working with him and am in no doubt that, in Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi, we will have a strong driver pairing.

“Telmex has been involved in motor sport for a number of years already and supports drivers in various race series. Now they are making the key step up into the top category of motor racing, and we are happy and proud that they are taking this step with us. Telmex is an outstanding company and represents a strong partner for our team. We are looking forward to a fruitful partnership.”

Regarding the new relationship, Carlos Slim Domit said: “Sauber has been not only a very successful racing team but also a strong talent developer of some of the most recognized names in racing since their early stages as well as one of the most respected people in the sport. Their decision of having Sergio with them is very significant on his career to become a top driver representing Mexico. For Telmex and our racing project Escuderia Telmex, it’s a great step forward, and we feel very proud to be able to consolidate these years of work for having a Mexican driver in F1 with Sauber Motorsport.”

Adam Cooper notched up his 25th season as a racing journalist in 2009. Born in London, England, he saw his first F1 race at age 10 in 1976. He began freelancing for Autosport magazine in 1985 and was on the fulltime staff from 1987-92. He then went freelance again, initially spending two years in Japan before following the 1994 Champcar series from a base in Indianapolis. He has not missed a Grand Prix since Suzuka ‘94, a run that has extended to Abu Dhabi ’09. Adam has written books about Eddie Irvine, Piers Courage and Michael Schumacher and hosts a race preview show on Sirius XM. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Check out Adam's Blog or follow him on Twitter

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