Perez on life after F1: Why IndyCar isn’t in the cards

Sergio Perez would assuredly be a massively popular addition to the NTT IndyCar Series, yet the Mexican says he has no interest in racing in America’s premier open-wheel championship.

IndyCar frequently welcomes drivers at the end of their career in F1. Both Marcus Ericsson and Romain Grosjean found new opportunities after moving west, and the former even found glory after triumphing in the 2022 Indy 500.

Additionally, Mexican fans have rallied around Pato O’Ward, a rising star in IndyCar, whose success has brought the series greater attention in Perez’s home country.

However, the beleaguered Red Bull driver, whose presence on the F1 grid in 2025 has grown uncertain with each passing race, has unequivocally ruled out a move to America when his F1 career ends.

In a recent interview during a Honda event at Las Vegas, Perez made it clear that IndyCar is not in his future plans.

“Not really," Perez said, quoted by Motorsport.com. “If I’m honest, because I think one of the reasons I’ll stop the day when I stop, it’s because I’ve done it enough. I’ve done it enough at this level of F1.”

• Read also: Red Bull shareholders to decide Perez’s fate after Abu Dhabi

Perez’s comments reflected a shift in priorities as he looks beyond the rigorous demands of F1, particularly with a young family waiting for him at home.

“With the tight schedule that we have, I’d like to be able to, I’ve got some small kids at home, so I’d like to spend more time with them, with the family. I think it’s really hard to get what you used to get from F1, in that regard."

The Red Bull driver, who signed an extension with the team in June to stay through 2026, has faced a challenging season with inconsistent results and growing scrutiny over his performance.

Despite this, Perez has his sights set on ending his F1 career on his terms, ideally injury-free, before exploring other possibilities in motorsport, and preferably in a lower risk environment than IndyCar.

"I really respect what they do in Indy," Perez said, acknowledging the skill and risks involved in the series.

"But the way I see it is like after, hopefully, that I’m able to finish my career without any injury or something like that.

"I think going into Indy, I have a lot of respect for what the drivers do. At the same time, there are drivers that are not very experienced in the series and doing those sorts of speeds, and having that sort of impact is not something that I’m willing to do once I finish my career."

While Perez is uninterested in committing to a full racing series post-F1, he did express an openness to exploring selective, less physically demanding motorsport opportunities, such as Le Mans or the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

“Yeah, doing one or two races a year,” he said. “I think it’s something as a driver, you’re going to be looking at very soon because it’s really hard to stop completely.”

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