Sergio Perez has revealed he turned down contract offers from other Formula 1 outfits to remain with Red Bull, even as his future with the team was growing increasingly uncertain – and still is.
This 2024 season has been tough on Perez, as he’s struggled to match the pace and performance of his dominant teammate Max Verstappen.
Despite a solid start to the year, the Mexican’s deteriorated form has seen Red Bull slip from a comfortable lead in the Constructors’ standings to third behind Ferrari and McLaren.
A dark cloud currently lingers over Perez’s future, but despite this the 34-year-old remains determined to see out his career at Red Bull, recognizing the immense challenge and opportunity it presents.
In a candid interview with GQ, Perez explained that he had chances to jump ship, with two other teams approaching him with concrete offers.
“I had an opportunity, two opportunities, to change teams,” he confessed.
“When I looked at it, I thought, I really love the challenge I have at Red Bull. It’s a massive challenge being Max’s teammate. It’s a challenge that basically trains you for all of it.
“So I said, I want to spend my last part of my career at the top, at the very top, where the pressure, it's full-on."
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While Perez’s scored 103 championship points in the first six races of 2025, he has managed only 48 points in the last 15 events, compared to Verstappen’s 257 in the same stretch.
Although his contract with Red Bull extends through 2025, it's widely believed there are performance-based clauses that could allow the team to make a change if necessary.
Names like Franco Colapinto and Liam Lawson have been floated as potential replacements, leaving Perez’s position with Red Bull highly uncertain.
The six-time Grand Prix winner acknowledges how the team’s performance culture puts an intense spotlight on drivers, noting that it’s simply “part of the game” at Red Bull.
“It’s how the sport is. You have one, two bad races, a lot of negative talk about you and so on,” he said.
“But it’s also something in the culture of the team as well—with Red Bull. The surrounding talk, the contract talks and so on. It’s just part of the game.”
Reflecting on his decision to stay with Red Bull, Perez noted that, despite the struggles, he values the chance to push himself against the best in the world.
“I want to spend my last part of my career at the top, at the very top, where the pressure, it’s full-on,” he explained.
For Perez, the challenge of competing at Red Bull, particularly as Verstappen’s teammate, offers an invaluable experience that few drivers get to encounter.
Although he hasn’t seen the podium since his 2024 victory at the Chinese Grand Prix and hasn’t claimed a race win since last year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Perez remains grateful for his achievements.
“At the end of the day, when you go through a difficult period, there is a lot of talk,” he admitted. “But ultimately, there is 90 percent of the grid who would have loved to have my career.
“When you are a driver, you only think about the next race—the next challenge, the next category, the next contract. It’s always about next, next, next.
“Sometimes it’s good to step back out of it and remember how far you’ve gone. It’s a very brutal sport.”
For now, Perez remains committed to Red Bull and the challenge of operating under its intense pressure, driven by the opportunity to compete at the highest level until the very end of his F1 career.
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