Sergio Perez dismisses retirement rumours as the Red Bull driver insists he has ‘zero doubts’ over returning to his best level after a recent slump

• A report claimed Perez will announce his retirement at the Mexican Grand Prix 
• The Red Bull driver insists he will fulfill his contract with the team next season 
• Perez is second in the driver’s championship but has struggled recently for form 

Sergio Perez has laughed off rumours suggesting he will announce his retirement from Formula One following an inconsistent season for Red Bull.

The 33-year-old is current second in the driver’s championship, but has 224 points compared to the 433 mustered by his team-mate Max Verstappen.

Perez has scored just five points over the past three races in a difficult spell.

Speculation over his future was heighted after a report on Reddit claimed Perez will announce his retirement at his home race, the Mexican Grand Prix, at the end of the month.

Perez admitted he was aware of the report ahead of the US Grand Prix, but insisted he will be fulfilling his Red Bull contract next season.

Sergio Perez has laughed off rumours he is set to announce his retirement from Formula One

Perez was asked about a report he would announce his retirement at the Mexican Grand Prix

‘I’m just laughing at it,’ Perez said, as reported by Sky Sports. ‘There’s nothing I can do, I’m fully focused on the job.

‘That really sums up my season. A guy says something about me, then all of a sudden it becomes true.

‘But I have a contract for next year, and no reason to not complete that contract. I’m going to give my very best to it, I’ve done a commitment.

‘I have zero doubts that I will be back to my best level, and that is my only target I have in mind.

‘I do not even think about retirement or anything like that, because that’s just the easy route.’

Perez is currently in his 13th season in Formula One and his third driving for Red Bull.

His recent struggles have allowed third placed Lewis Hamilton to close the gap to him in the drivers’ championship.

The Red Bull driver is second in the driver’s championship but has had a recent slump in form

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner revealed after a ‘horrible weekend’ for Perez at the Qatar Grand Prix, he was set to hold talks the his driver to address the slump.

Perez had crashed out of the sprint and then taken just one point from the main event following his lowly 10th-place finish.

‘I think we really need to sit down with Checo because we know what he’s capable of and he’s not hitting that form at the moment,’ Horner said earlier this month.

‘We desperately need him to find that form to keep second in the championship. 

‘But we’ll support him as much as we can because there’s the triple-header coming up. There’s a huge amount of points with Sprint races as well.’ 

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