Sergio Perez is about to begin his fourth season with Red Bull, having arrived at the team in 2021.
Sergio Perez has revealed that he hopes to remain with Red Bull for “more years” ahead of a make-or-break F1 2024 season.
Sergio Perez, who turned 34 last month, is entering the final season of his current contract with Red Bull, having joined the team at the beginning of 2021.
On paper, the Mexican enjoyed the strongest season of his career in 2023 by claiming second place in the Drivers’ standings behind team-mate Max Verstappen and taking two early-season victories in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan.
Sergio Perez keen to secure Red Bull stay
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
However, his performances on the track told a different story with Perez’s seat coming under huge scrutiny after suffering an alarming mid-season slump, failing to reach Q3 for five races in succession between Monaco and Britain.
Recent rumours have suggested that Red Bull are planning for life after Perez, with reports suggesting the team have offered Williams star Alex Albon – who was demoted to a reserve driver role to make way for Perez at the end of 2020 – a first-refusal option to return on a three-year contract from 2026.
Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher at the launch of the new Red Bull RB20 car, Perez confirmed his intention is to secure a new multi-year deal with Red Bull.
He said: “I think I’m in a great team, obviously. Being part of the Red Bull family has been amazing. We’ll see what the future holds.
“For now, I’m fully focused on the start of the year and ideally [it] will be to carry on for more years in this team.”
Asked directly by PlanetF1.com if he has put a timeline on a decision over his future, Perez replied: “No.
“The start of the season is going to be really busy, so I’m just focusing on the first few races and that’s my main objective.
“I don’t think I’m setting skipping any time limits or anything like that. For now, I’m just focusing on the first five races to get the most out of it because it’s going to be taking a lot of energy out of me.
“I just don’t want any distractions.”
After Lewis Hamilton announced his shock move from Mercedes and Ferrari – soon after Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc signed new contracts with McLaren and Ferrari respectively – Perez believes this year’s driver market will move at a faster pace than usual.
And the former Sauber and Force India star is convinced that his performances on track will determine whether he stays with Red Bull for 2025.
He added: “I’m sure that most of the drivers are going to be willing to get things done a lot earlier in the year.
“From my side, I’m just focusing on having a great year [and] the rest always takes care of itself.
“As long as you are performing on track, the rest always comes comes into place, so I’m not really bothered about it.
“It’s my 14th season in F1, so for me my main target is performing well on track.”
