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F1 pundit Joe Saward reported that Red Bull driver Sergio Perez may bid farewell to his F1 career after the end of his home race in Mexico next month. The Mexican has been under pressure since the middle of the 2023 season but the Austrian team have shown faith in him on multiple occasions and even offered a new two-year deal contract earlier this year.
However, it has done little to boost Perez's performance on track and help his teammate Max Verstappen in the past couple of races. There were strong suggestions that the 34-year-old might be replaced by Daniel Ricciardo in the middle of the season this year. However, the move did not pull through as Red Bull wanted to assess Perez on his strong circuits (Baku and Singapore).
In his blog, the Green Notebook, Saward spoke about a plan between Sergio Perez and Red Bull regarding his retirement from the sport and wrote:
"One interesting rumor in Singapore was that Perez and Red Bull have worked out a plan that will see him announce his retirement in Mexico, giving him a more gentle exit than being fired and will be less painful for Red Bull sales in the Americas. This would give Red Bull the chance to shop around for a new driver in 2025," Saward wrote.
This is not the first time the 34-year-old has been under the light regarding his impending retirement as he had addressed such reports earlier in the year.
Sergio Perez gives his take on reports of F1 retirement
Red Bull driver Sergio Perez said that he had been thinking about retirement in the past couple of months as he did not see himself going Fernando Alonso's route of racing in his 40s.
Speaking with DAZN, the Mexican acknowledged having reflected on retiring (via PlanetF1):
“These past six months I did think about it [retirement], but it took me three seconds to make the decision. In the end, it would be the easy route, after so many years to quit and kind of give up. I would never have forgiven myself for that," Perez said.
However, the 34-year-old emphasized that he wanted to retire on his terms, saying:
“I want to finish my career when I want and not when someone tells me. That’s my main focus: to get to the point where I can decide my future. For now I have two more years on my contract, and two years in F1 is a long time, but I know that the end is getting closer,” he added.
Red Bull have been open about eyeing drivers like Goerge Russell and Oscar Piastri despite giving Sergio Perez a new two-year deal after the Monaco GP earlier in the season. The six-time race winner is the only driver in the Top-4 teams to have not won a race this year, with his three P2s in Bahrain, Jeddah, and Suzuka, being his best results.
