Having made his debut in 2011, Sergio Perez is now part of the old guard in Formula 1, with the sixth most Grand Prix starts of any driver on the current grid. And over the last five seasons, he’s become a major player at Force India – but could his standing at the team change when Lance Stroll arrives next year? The Mexican doesn’t think so…

Force India went into administration at the end of July, with Lawrence Stroll – father of Williams driver Lance - stepping in as the leader of a consortium of investors to rescue the squad, and they began their new era at the Belgian Grand Prix in August.

Ever since that takeover was completed, it was widely expected that Stroll would join the Silverstone squad – and now with Perez recently signing a new contract with the team, the Canadian youngster seems nailed on to take Esteban Ocon’s seat for 2019.

And Perez isn’t concerned about the son of the team’s new owner joining him next year – perhaps the opposite in fact, with the Mexican optimistic that they can both contribute and help the team ‘be a massive surprise next year’.

When asked if Lance Stroll joining Force India will affect the team dynamic, Perez replied: “I don’t think it will change. At the end of the day, the interests of all the team, even the team buyer, the team owner is that the team is very successful.

“So, for that you need both cars to be at 100 per cent and for the team to develop as quickly as possible. So, for that you really need full performance.