"A tragedy" if Perez not in Formula 1 in 2021 - Brawn

Ross Brawn believes it would be "a tragedy" if Sergio Perez is unable to secure himself a seat in Formula 1 next season.

Ahead of the campaign set to close with a triple-header in the Middle East, Perez finds himself waiting on Red Bull's decision over whether it intends to persist with Alex Albon for next year.

One deadline has been and gone, leading to team principal Christian Horner then extending it to the end of this year in order to give the Thai-British driver every opportunity to prove himself despite him collecting just seven points in the last five races.

In stark contrast, Perez is the only driver other than Hamilton to score points in every race in which he has competed this season.

Backing the Mexican, who delivered a superb drive in Turkey last weekend to secure second behind Hamilton, F1's managing director motorsports Brawn said: "Perez put in a great performance, and I’ve said before, it would be a tragedy if he isn’t in F1 next year.

"He more than deserves his place on the grid. If you’re a team that wants a competitive driver to maximise every opportunity, Perez is your man."

Brawn also believed Sebastian Vettel again proved himself with his performance at Istanbul Park, and showed why he is a four-time champion.

Up until claiming his first podium for a year, Vettel's final season with Ferrari has otherwise been a disaster, but Brawn feels the German underlined the old adage that 'form is temporary, class is permanent'.

"It was fascinating to watch Sebastian’s performance," added Brawn. "People are quick to write any type of sportsman off if they have a quiet period. Sunday reminded us of his deep talent.

"He’s been a bit in the shadow of Charles [Leclerc] this year and coming to the end of his Ferrari marriage is not easy, so I think the Turkish Grand Prix was a great day for him. He didn’t put a foot wrong and was ready to pounce when an opportunity came up."

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