Sergio Perez more than deserves to stay in Formula One, managing director Ross Brawn said on Monday after the Mexican finished second to now-seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton in Turkey at the weekend.
Perez is without a seat for 2021 after Racing Point signed four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel, who finished third for Ferrari at Istanbul Park on Sunday.
Canadian team mate Lance Stroll, whose father Lawrence owns Racing Point, finished ninth after starting from pole position.
"Perez put in a great performance... it would be a tragedy if he isn't in F1 next year," said Brawn, who worked with Michael Schumacher during a golden era at Ferrari and Hamilton at Mercedes in 2013, in a column for the F1 website.