Last month, Sergio Perez’s time with Red Bull officially came to an end after a tough 2024 season. 

The Mexican driver, who joined the team four years ago, had a strong start to the year, securing four podiums in the first five races. However, his performance dropped drastically in the second half of the season, with just 48 points in the final 18 races.

This decline hurt Red Bull’s campaign, causing the team to fall to third in the Constructors’ Championship behind McLaren and Ferrari.

Perez’s struggles were amplified by the RB20 car’s balance issues, which made it difficult to handle. While his teammate Max Verstappen also faced challenges with the car, he still managed to dominate the season, securing his fourth championship with 437 points. In comparison, Perez finished with only 152 points, leaving a massive gap of 285 between them. 

The Mexican also signed a contract extension mid-season, with Red Bull hoping for a turnaround, which never materialized, prompting Red Bull to replace Perez with Liam Lawson for the 2025 season.

During a press conference in his hometown of León in Mexico, Perez finally broke the silence after his drop and opened up about the decision and his future.

He announced plans to take six months off from racing to spend time with his family and think about his next steps. He also is not sure about a possible return to Formula 1, saying he needs time to decide.

"My priority is to enjoy myself, to do things I haven't done before, to be with my family," Perez said.

"In the next six months, I will make a decision about what I want for the next step in my career.

"It's too early to give an answer as to whether I intend to return to Formula 1. 

"Everything happened so quickly at the end of last season, I didn't expect to leave the team.

"My biggest motivation now is to guide my children along the right path and be more present in their lives. I am very excited to be with my family because in F1 you only think about being a better driver, preparing yourself better, you don't have time for anything else.

"I have a football tournament with Checo in three weeks and we are going to travel around Mexico."