Sergio Perez insists the current Red Bull driver wants to end his F1 career on his own terms as he admits the ‘end is near’.
Perez has repeatedly said he wants Red Bull, which he has driven for since 2021, to be the last team he represents in the series.
However, although Perez’s contract runs until 2026, his struggles this season have led to consistent rumors that Red Bull are looking for his replacement before then.
Speculation reached its peak before the summer break, when his position at Red Bull was debated following an eventful performance in which he scored 28 points in eight rounds.
However, Perez insists he will remain alongside Max Verstappen in the RB20, and with Red Bull opting not to make any changes, his belief will come true.
But Perez admitted there were moments recently when he considered quitting his job as the pressure increased on his shoulders.
“I thought about retiring for the last six months and it took me three seconds to make the decision,” Perez told DAZN.
“In the end, the easy path would have been to quit and give up for years. I would never have forgiven myself for doing that.”
Perez, a six-time F1 race winner, insisted he wanted to avoid a situation like the one Daniel Ricciardo found himself in this week and walk away from the sport once he made up his mind.
Read more: Liam Lawson to replace Daniel Ricciardo as RB for remainder of 2024 F1
“I want to finish my career when I want to, not when someone tells me to,” he continued. “That’s my main focus: getting to a point where I can decide my future.
“At the moment I am very motivated and, to be honest, I really want to stay in F1. I am enjoying it, especially learning to enjoy the good times but also the bad times. ”
Perez hints his latest F1 contract will be his last
However, Perez has hinted that his current contract terms may constitute a suitable end point, admitting that time is starting to wind down on his F1 career.
“At the moment I have two years left on my contract and two years in F1 is a long time, but I know it’s coming to an end,” he added.
Perez expressed that his desire to watch his children grow up served as the most important part of his desire not to continue racing into his 40s like Fernando Alonso.
“I don’t see him racing here like Fernando, for example. I have so much respect for everything he does at this age,” he explained.
“It’s not that I don’t want to, but I have young children and I want to spend more time with them. At the end of the day, those are going to be the limiting factors.”
Has the F1 calendar expanded too much?
Meanwhile, the Mexican also highlighted that the expansion of the F1 calendar to a record 24 races is a factor causing concern about the sport’s prospects.
“The calendar is already complicated with 24 races a year, but I intend to be here for at least two more years,” he added.
“But I don’t see myself being in F1 for long.”
Read more: Red Bull issues latest warning to Sergio Perez over F1 results
