Sergio Perez says he hasn’t yet decided whether or not to pursue an attempted return to F1 after leaving the Red Bull Racing team.
Perez, four years to the day after signing with Red Bill, was confirmed as leaving the Milton Keynes-based squad last month.
Sergio Perez reveals new priority after Red Bull split
The Mexican driver endured a nightmare F1 2024 season after a strong start gave way to an enduring struggle for speed and consistency.
Perez’s efforts to score points netted him just 152 points, while teammate Max Verstappen scored 437 points. This massive disparity cost Red Bull dearly, as the team slumped to third in the Constructors’ Championship.
Perez expressed some responsibility for the issues throughout 2024 but, with no clear sign of him breaking out of the slump, negotiations between the two sides were held after the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
This resulted in a decision to part ways, with Perez replaced by Red Bull junior Liam Lawson – the Kiwi driver having replaced Daniel Ricciardo at Racing Bulls for the final six races of the season.
Aside from an immediate statement to confirm his departure from Red Bull, Perez has not spoken out on the split – until now.
Appearing at a press conference in Leon, a town in Mexico, Perez revealed that he plans on taking several months away from the spotlight in order to decide on what his future may be.
“My priority is to enjoy myself, to do things I haven’t done, to be with my family,” he said, as quoted by ESPN Deportes.
“In the next six months, I will make a decision on what I want for the next step in my career.”
Perez may not be driving for Red Bull, but he will retain some ties to the energy drinks brand with show runs and ambassadorial work on behalf of the Austrian conglomerate.
An F1 comeback isn’t entirely off the cards, given the Mexican’s proven track record and his raft of personal sponsorship, but he’s in no hurry to decide whether or not he wants to pursue any opportunities.
One possible destination could be the upcoming Cadillac outfit, which has been given approval in principle to enter Formula 1 in 2026. The General Motors (GM) brand is set to arrive in Formula 1 and drivers of Perez’s experience may be attractive for the American outfit in its early days.
“It’s too early to give an answer as to whether I intend to return to Formula 1,” Perez said.
“Everything happened very quickly at the end of last season, I didn’t expect to leave the team.”
Perez had been under contract with Red Bull until the end of the 2026 season, having signed a two-year deal in the middle of last year – this extension being an attempt from the team at assuring him of his future and giving him confidence to push on, an attempt which ultimately didn’t work out.
Leaving Red Bull so suddenly and against his expectation, Perez said he now intends to be more involved in his young family’s life after years of constantly worrying about the next race and the next championship campaign.
“My biggest motivation now is to take my children on a good path and be more present in their lives,” he said.
“I am very excited to be with my family because in F1 you only think about being a better driver, preparing yourself better, you don’t have time for anything else.”
To that end, he is off on holidays shortly while, at the end of January, he is taking his son, Sergio Perez Junior, to a soccer tournament in Mexico.
“My biggest motivation is that I have a soccer tournament with Checo [his son] in three weeks and
we are going to travel around Mexico,” HE SAID.
“My biggest motivation is that we do well in his tournament, that I can enjoy it a lot with my son.”