In 2020, Sergio Perez thought his F1 career was over. Mexico’s Sergio Perez has admitted that he thought he was finished with F1 in 2020 when his former team Racing Point told him they would not be renewing his contract for the following season.

Sergio Perez’s contract with Racing Point (now Aston Martin) was due to expire in 2020, when the team bought by billionaire Lawrence Stroll wanted to replace the Mexican with four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel from the 2021 season. Perez found himself in a bind before the Red Bull team finally signed him at the last minute during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend to replace Thai driver Alexander Albon from the following season.

Hardest thing is to stay in Formula 1

In the short time between the Racing Point announcement and the signing of his contract with Red Bull, Sergio Perez thought his Formula One career was over.

“On the track you are in control, off the track you are in control of Formula One. The hardest thing is to stay in Formula One. In 2020, when I knew I wouldn’t get another contract with Racing Point,

“I thought maybe it was over. I felt it could be my last season in F1, and it almost was. It was very close,” explained Sergio Perez in a column for The Players Tribune.

“In fact, I was already thinking about my life without racing. Then Red Bull offered me a contract at the last race of the season, and of course I was super happy to accept.”

Now a Red Bull driver alongside Max Verstappen for two seasons now, Perez is making the most of his time with the Milton Keynes-based team at the wheel of the most competitive car he has driven in his career.

“Racing for Red Bull Racing is a huge privilege, you know? With a car this powerful, you’re almost guaranteed a chance to fight for a win every weekend, that’s what you want. My profile was raised once I became part of the Red Bull family, because it’s such an important brand.”

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We are obsessed with winning

“One really crucial thing is that my relationship with the mechanics is really good. We are obsessed with winning and we have fun, which is really important because we spend so much time together. I mean, I see them more than I see my wife!”

“I feel so lucky to still be living this dream. Like any job, there are things I don’t like. The training, the media, the racing, it’s very intense and it limits the time I can spend with my family.”

“On January 1, I know what I’ll be doing every day of the year. One day you’re in Australia, the next you’re in Europe. I’ve been living like this for over 10 years now, so I’m used to it, but whenever I can go back to Guadalajara [his hometown], I do.”

“I travel with my wife and three kids. I see relatives and go out with my friends. I’m just a normal guy. Sometimes I even forget that I’m a race driver.”

Sergio Perez sits third in the world drivers’ championship ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix, just two points behind Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.