Sergio Perez breaks down his F1 retirement plans amidst Red Bull exit rumors

Sergio Perez's major struggle this season has been his poor qualifying which often berries him in the midfield DRS trains.

Sergio Perez breaks down his F1 retirement plans amidst Red Bull exit rumors

Sergio Perez and Helmut Marko (via IMAGO)

Sergio Perez had a strong start to the 2023 season that saw him secure two wins in the first four races of the season, alongside the Azerbaijani Sprint race wins. But as multiple upgrades were introduced to RB-19 and the season progressed, he started experiencing a slump in performance. His consistent inconsistency has been at its peak since the mid-season break.

While his teammate Max Verstappen is dominating the entire grid, winning 14 of the 17 races, the Mexican racer is trying to hold to his P2 position in the championship. Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton is closing the gap on him every other race. Perez [224 points] is currently ahead of Hamilton [194 points] by a mere 30 points. His poor form has prompted retirement rumors, and the ex-Race Point driver denied the claims in a recent interview.

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The Mexican addressed the retirement claim, and his Red Bull contract is set to expire at the end of 2024. He still hopes to extend the deal by finishing strong this year and producing a solid season next year. He said, as reported by motorsport.com, “I have a contract for next year, so it becomes important to have a good year.”

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Perez believes that he still has a lot to offer in F1 and admitted that he wants to be in Formula 1 for a couple of more years. He said, “I have the motivation to continue. At least I want to do this for years to come because I believe I have a lot to offer. I would like to stay in Formula 1 for at least three to four years.”

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Helmut Marko and Christian Horner give their verdict on Sergio Perez’s performance

Perez’s career risk has been at an all-time high recently. He might be replaced by the ex-Red Bull racer Daniel Ricciardo. The team boss, Christian Horner, has given him an ‘ultimatum’ and said that Perez needs to improve his results and finish P2 in the driver’s standings to stay with the team for the next season.

Franz Tost, Christian Horner, and Dr. Helmut Marko (Via IMAGO)
Franz Tost, Christian Horner, and Dr. Helmut Marko (Via IMAGO)

Horner also commented on how frustrating it is to see Perez’s recent form. He added that Perez needs to ‘desperately rediscover’ his form to keep his second spot in the championship. Despite his result, Horner reassures the media that they will keep supporting Perez.

Helmut Marko, the Red Bull advisor, has been targeting Perez since his dwindling performance. He talks about potential replacements for Perez and adds that there are three good replacements ready at Alphatauri who can replace the Mexican for the next season.

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