Perez will consider F1 return for 'interesting project'

Former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez says he will consider a Formula One return if presented with an attractive project, but he first intends to take at least six months off.

Perez and Red Bull parted ways in December following an underwhelming season for the Mexican, who had only agreed a new contract to run through 2026 in June.

He managed four podium finishes in the first five races of 2024 but then failed to make the top three in another Grand Prix all campaign.

Through the final 18 races of the season, Perez retired four times and finished outside the top seven on 13 occasions.

After Red Bull replaced him with Liam Lawson, Perez will weigh up his options ahead of a possible return to the grid, taking the next six months to spend quality time with his family.

"Honestly, I don't know. It's too soon to have an answer. Everything happened very quickly at the end of the season, so I didn't expect it," Perez said when asked if he would race in 2025.

"Now I'm in an incredible, dreamy position, which I didn't even realise I was in, so if you ask me now, I don't know. I'm very happy with my life, very excited about what's ahead.

"For sure, if I receive a good, interesting project, then I'll definitely consider it and think about it. It will all come in its own time.

"For now, my priority in the months ahead is to have fun, do what I haven't been able to, travel, be with my family...

"In the next six months, I'll make a decision on what I want for the next step of my career."

In December, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said Perez himself had opted to take some time out of F1, having made his debut in 2011 and raced for 14 straight seasons.

Asked how it felt to be freed from his contract, Perez said: "It's incredible. It's hard to describe, but I feel different as a person. It's something I had never lived. I'm perfectly happy.

"I'll come back to F1 if it's what's going to make me the happiest. That's all I will consider, what's going to make me happier in the coming years."

Perez finished eighth in the drivers' championship in 2025, his worst placing since he came 10th with Racing Point in 2019.

He finished third in 2022 and second in 2023, with Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen claiming the title on both occasions.