– Sergio Perez still sees several years left in his Formula 1 career during which he wants to continue building the Cadillac project, but he is already thinking about his own “expiration date”: “Of course, I don’t have forever,” says the 36-year-old in the podcast Beyond the Grid and mentions the number “maybe three years.”
Read more MotoGP Live Ticker Aragon: The battle for direct Q2 entry
After his departure from Red Bull following the 2024 season, Perez took a year off and returned to Formula 1 this season with the new Cadillac team. Even though he is currently trailing behind, he wants to see “how the project progresses.”
Therefore, the 36-year-old is giving himself some more time in the top class, even though he knows that the end of his active time is drawing closer: “I think there is a certain age at which you decline,” says the Mexican, not necessarily referring to physical decline.
“I believe it is the inner drive. It is the will – and you can see it from the outside, when you are not in the car, how much you think about your engineers and your car,” says Perez. “When you start to leave and think less and less about it, that is the first warning, I would say. It fades.”
As a young driver, thoughts would only revolve around how to move forward, how to drive better, and which techniques to use. With age, however, this diminishes more and more.
Fernando Alonso still has the bite
When this age is reached varies from driver to driver, as can be seen with Fernando Alonso. “We might still see Fernando until he is 60,” Perez laughs. “He is still driving at an extremely high level. But I think Fernando is different.”
“He still has that inner engine within him. You can see it: whenever an opportunity arises, whenever there is something he can use, he still has that bite.”
Read more For a good cause: Zandvoort racing suit of Max Verstappen is being auctioned
Drawing the line, however, is anything but easy from Perez’s point of view: “I think it is damn hard for a driver to admit that it is enough, that you are no longer as competitive as you want or hope to be,” he says. “But in the end, you have to be very honest with yourself and grateful – to the child who once started it all.”
“You have to be able to say: You know what, it’s time to do something else.”
More than just a driver at Cadillac
And for the Cadillac driver, this time is not too far off: “I have great respect for what Fernando has achieved in the sport and for the motivation he has. But for me, it won’t take that long anymore because I want to do other things outside of Formula 1,” he makes clear.
Photo gallery: Mid-season reports: The best Formula 1 drivers at the summer break
He still has a role at Cadillac that he really enjoys, as he feels like “more than just a driver” at the newcomer because he is allowed to build the team from the ground up and set a direction.
“Of course, I want to win championships and race at the front. But if you don’t have that opportunity, Cadillac is something that motivates me extremely,” he emphasizes. “Few drivers get that offered in their career, and this is the first time I have it.”
