Sergio Perez says he knew before F1's summer break that he would be retained by Red Bull for 2022, having himself committed to a second season with the Milton Keynes-based outfit "a long time ago".
With half of the current season still to go, Red Bull announced on Friday at Spa that Perez and Max Verstappen would remain teammates next year, a decision that instills stability at the team.
Perez, who conquered his second career win in F1 with Red Bull in Baku, struggled for consistency in the early part of the year, but the Mexican has gradually been able to get on top of his game.
As he sailed off into a well-deserved summer break after the Hungarian Grand Prix, Perez knew that his future was sealed.
"I went into the summer break knowing what I was going to do," Perez said.
"But obviously everyone went on holiday, so it took us longer for it to be ready. I signed on Friday, once everyone was back, and yeah, we committed a long time ago.
"It was a couple of races already ago that Helmut [Marko] and Christian [Horner] told me that they're very happy to keep me, and that I shouldn't be looking anywhere else.
"They wanted to continue with me, and vice-versa, so it was just clear for both sides that we wanted to continue."
The 31-year-old said that he had not spoken to any other teams about his 2022 prospects, feeling that his situation was fairly cut and dried with Red Bull.
The two-time Grand Prix is now focused on a strong back half of the season and on the "massive opportunity" represented by next year's regulation change.
"It is a massive opportunity, and next year, everyone starts from zero," Perez said.
"There is no secret that I have been struggling with the car at times to get the maximum, so right now, I can think with the bigger picture in mind, getting some other things that can influence next year's car.
"So definitely it is a big opportunity."
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