With Sergio Perez having an extremely disappointing season so far, it wasn’t a surprise when a recent rumor claimed that Red Bull isn’t willing to continue with Perez for 2024. The same source claimed that the Mexican driver would retire from the sport altogether by the end of 2023. However, as per a report by F1Maximaal.nl, Perez has put all of the rumors to bed and has explained his wish to stay in F1 for 3-4 more years.
After putting in a couple of strong performances at the start of the season, things have gone downhill for Perez. He has been absolutely no match for his teammate Max Verstappen, who recently wrapped up his third Driver’s Championship.
🚨| There’s a chance that Sergio Perez will retire at the end of 2023.
The Mexican driver has thought about retiring due to him not being has competitive as he thought he would be heading into the 2023 season.
Nothing decided yet, looking at other options.#RedBullRacing #F1 pic.twitter.com/A4Oq5pJhQg
— Joseph Brown (@JosephBrown_974) October 14, 2023
Now, with the return of Daniel Ricciardo to AlphaTauri, Perez is under constant threats of replacement. Even more so, given that he is almost on the verge of losing P2 to Lewis Hamilton despite being in the fastest car on the grid.
Sergio Perez wants to continue racing for at least a few more years
It was well understood that Red Bull was slowly losing their patience with the former Racing Point driver. Things leveled up when a recent rumor claimed that Red Bull had already confirmed their decision and conveyed it to Perez, who has, in turn, decided to retire. However, as it turns out, Perez has other plans.
As per a recent report by F1Maximaal, Perez revealed that he is going nowhere as he still has a contract with Red Bull for next year. And even beyond that, he has plans to continue in the premier class of motorsports for quite a bit of time.
🚨 Sergio Perez in an interview:
“I have a contract with Red Bull for 2024 and next year it is important to have a good year, I think I still have a lot to give.”
“I hope and want to stay in Formula 1 for another three or four years.”pic.twitter.com/WKvpU0Y3hA
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) October 13, 2023
Perez said, “I would like to stay in Formula 1 for at least another three to four years.” However, he also realized that in order to fulfill his dream, he needed to have an extremely strong and consistent season next year.
Contracts aren’t an issue for ruthless Red Bull
The main issue with the comment made by Perez is that Red Bull does not really care about contracts, as was evident by how they treat Nyck de Vries. The rookie was sacked from the team after only ten races into the season and replaced by Ricciardo.
The Honey Badger may just become the person to replace Perez as well. It is essential for the 33-year-old driver to pull up his socks and step up his game in the upcoming season.
