Sergio Perez says he has not yet decided whether or not he will attempt a return to F1 after leaving the Red Bull Racing team.

Last month it was confirmed that Perez, four years after signing for Red Bill, would be leaving the Milton Keynes-based outfit.

The Mexican driver endured a nightmare 2024 F1 season after a strong start gave way to a long-running struggle for speed and consistency.

Perez’s efforts to score points saw him earn just 152 points, while teammate Max Verstappen scored 437 points. This huge disparity cost Red Bull dearly, as the team dropped to third place in the Constructors’ Championship.

Perez claimed some responsibility for the problems throughout 2024 but, with no clear sign of an end to the slump, negotiations between the two parties took place after the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

This resulted in the decision to part ways, with Perez being replaced by Red Bull junior Liam Lawson, the New Zealand driver who replaced Daniel Ricciardo at Racing Bulls for the final six races of the season.

Apart from an immediate statement confirming his departure from Red Bull, Perez has not commented on the split, until now.

At a press conference in León, Mexico, Perez revealed that he plans to take several months away from the spotlight to decide what his future will be.

“My priority is to enjoy myself, to do things I haven’t done before, to be with my family,” he said, as quoted by ESPN Deportes.

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

Perez may not drive for Red Bull, but he will retain some links to the energy drink brand with exhibition racing and ambassadorial work on behalf of the Austrian conglomerate.

The Mexican has not ruled out a return to F1, given his track record and his large number of personal sponsorships, but he is in no hurry to decide whether or not he wants to take advantage of any opportunity.

One possible destination could be the Cadillac team, which has received approval in principle to enter Formula 1 in 2026. The General Motors (GM) brand is ready to enter Formula 1 and drivers with Perez’s experience could be attractive for the American team in its early days.

“It is too early to give an answer as to whether I intend to return to Formula 1,” Perez said.

“Everything happened so quickly at the end of last season, I didn’t expect to leave the team.”

Perez was under contract with Red Bull until the end of the 2026 season, having signed a two-year deal in the middle of last year; this extension was an attempt by the team to secure his future and give him confidence to move forward, an attempt that ultimately did not work.

Having left Red Bull so suddenly and against his expectations, Perez said he now intends to be more involved in the life of his young family after years of constantly worrying about the next race and the next championship campaign.

“My biggest motivation now is to guide my children on the right path and be more present in their lives,” she said.

“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.”

To this end, he will soon go on vacation and, at the end of January, he will take his son, Sergio Pérez Junior, to a soccer tournament in Mexico.

“My biggest motivation is that I have a soccer tournament with Checo [his son] in three weeks and we are going to travel around Mexico,” HE SAID.

“My biggest motivation is that we do well in the tournament, so that I can enjoy it a lot with my son.”