Red Bull driver Sergio Perez would like to extend his time at the team following a satisfactory first season with them in 2021.
The Mexican claimed five podiums having replaced Alex Albon at the Milton Keynes side at the end of 2020, and took a race win in Azerbaijan after troubles for teammate Max Verstappen and Sir Lewis Hamilton.
His performances were enough to earn him a drive this year and Dr Helmut Marko, Red Bull advisor, has previously praised the 32-year-old’s ability to perform exquisitely during races, but conceded that his qualifying pace let him down.
“Perez has shown he has incredible experience when everything is right for him, and he has driven in many races at Max’s pace,” he said.
“Because of the bad starting positions it came into play, but overall it was the right decision [to retain him for 2022].”
Now that he has earned another year, Perez would like to put pen to paper on a longer contract to secure his future.
“When the time comes, certainly as a driver, you really need to have some stability with your team, which is also good for the team to have some continuity. So I think, going forwards, I’m looking for a bit longer stay,” he told RaceFans.
Verstappen has recently signed a lucrative deal which, according to Erik van Haren, will earn him $250 million from the end of his current deal in 2023 to 2028.
Having claimed his maiden world title with the team last season, he stated his relief at achieving the ultimate goal in motorsport, as well as signing on the dotted line for an extended stay in F1.
“I feel really well within the team. I’ve been part of this team now for a couple of years,” he said.
“What I always find important, of course, success is very important – that’s what we were targeting we achieved the championship last year. That was necessary, let’s put it like that.”
The 24-year-old continues to be allured by the work going on at Milton Keynes and the comradery within the camp.
“But I also find it important that you have a good time while you’re in Formula 1 and you actually have fun with the people you’re travelling with and I definitely have that. So why would you change that?” he explained.
“I believe in the whole project also going forward and enjoying just working with everyone in the team and I just have a really good time. So that’s why I think it was quite a straightforward decision in the end.”