Sergio Perez has hit back at circulating rumours about his potential retirement from Formula 1.
With speculation growing that Daniel Ricciardo could now be dropped from Red Bull's junior team, RB, new rumours regarding Perez's position in the main Red Bull Racing team also emerged during the Singapore event.
"This is the first time I've heard of this," Red Bull's F1 consultant Dr. Helmut Marko said with a smile when questioned about the suggestion that Perez, 34, might retire from F1 at the end of the 2024 season.
"But his wife is expecting their fourth child," Marko mentioned to Kleine Zeitung, adding, "An interesting alternative."
However, Perez himself has made it clear that he isn't going anywhere.
"It's a tough calendar, 24 races a year, but I will be in Formula 1 for at least another two years," Perez told the Spanish sports newspaper Marca.
"I don't think I will be here for a very long time. My contract is for two years, which is a long time in Formula 1, but I know the end is getting closer."
"I admire Fernando Alonso and what he does at his age (43), but I don't think I'll race for as long as he has. It's not that I don't like it, it's that I have small children and I want to spend much more time with them."
It is understood that Perez already has four children, all under the age of seven.
When asked about retirement, Perez acknowledged: "I've been thinking about it for the last six months, but it took me three seconds to make the decision."
"In the end, after so many years, it would have been the easiest step to take - to walk away and kind of give up. But I would never have forgiven myself if I had done that."
"It's been a tough year. It was tough to have a car with some limitations and not be able to say anything because your teammate was winning. Max (Verstappen) was driving really well and the gap between us was getting bigger every time."
That gap is now shrinking as Red Bull's car handling issues have become more evident, and Perez is adamant he doesn't want to be forced off the grid.
"I want to retire when I decide, not when someone tells me," he confirmed.
"That's my main goal - to decide my future myself. In the end, people forget about the contract. I just signed the contract. People talk a lot about everything, but I wasn't worried because I knew the situation."
