Pérez and Button will be tied at McLaren in 2013

McLaren has never had a tradition of designating a number one driver in its team. This should still be the case in 2013, even though Jenson Button has been with the team since the 2010 season.

Thus, Martin Whitmarsh, the team director, stated that the two McLaren drivers in 2013, Jenson Button and Sergio Pérez, will be treated on a strict equal footing. The relative inexperience of the young Mexican should not change the situation: « I think Sergio will be in the running for victory in Australia at the opening of next season. He will be capable of achieving it. As for the number one status in our team, we are not accustomed to designating one. We will go to Australia next year with Sergio and Jenson both fighting for victory. »

Whitmarsh was impressed this year by Pérez’s performances and his desire on the track: « There is no fear because he has overtaken drivers like Fernando Alonso this year. He has had some very good races. When you talk to him, you realize he is very young, but it’s exciting… we have no doubt that we can make him a world champion very quickly. »

Unlike Ferrari, where Pérez was expected to replace Felipe Massa, McLaren did not hesitate to enlist the Mexican deemed too inexperienced by Luca di Montezemolo, the head of Scuderia. Whitmarsh, on the other hand, is confident in his choice: “I believe he is ready; otherwise, we would not have signed him. Remember in 2006, I received a lot of criticism for bringing Lewis Hamilton with us. No one thought he would be ready to race at this level. Sergio is young and inexperienced, but it has been proven that young drivers can be molded. It will be a challenge for us.”

If one might think that this new partnership could worry Jenson Button, the McLaren director quickly dismisses these doubts: « Jenson believes that McLaren made the right decision by recruiting Sergio. »