Sergio Pérez breaks silence on his exit from Formula 1 and teases a return "if the project makes sense"

Sergio Pérez, Mexican Formula 1 driver who parted ways with Red Bull at the end of last season, despite having two more years in his contract - a contract that had been extended months earlier - has spoken with Formula1.com about what that moment felt like, and teased a return to the competition: "There are a few very interesting projects out there. I've been approached by a few teams since Abu Dhabi".

'Checo' Pérez is enjoying time off after more than a decade of racing non-stop: he debuted with Sauber in 2011, later on McLaren and Force India, before joining Red Bull in 2021. He says he enjoys now time with his wife and four children, seeing the sport from outside, and feeling "in a privileged position with my career knowing that I've always maximised all my opportunities", although he also admits that he wasn't expecting being fired from the team, and it all happened very fast.

"People have short memories in F1", says Sergio Pérez

Aged 35, many drivers may think on retiring, but Pérez leaves the door very much open, although he intends to wait to see if the right project comes up, because he knows how much you give up in life to be in the sport, and he needs to be motivated: "If I find a project that motivates me fully to come back, where the team believe in me and where they appreciate my career, my experience and everything I can bring to a team, it would be very attractive to consider it". Could Cadillac, the new for 2026 team, be one of those options?

Finally, he takes pride on his career, which includes 6 Grand Prix, 39 podiums, and a career best 2nd place in the Driver's Championships in 2023, behind teammate Max Verstappen: "People have short memories in F1. Within a couple of races, they forget what you have done. People realise that my position was not the easiest one in F1 - and I've done extremely well overall."