Perez has no interest in taking on IndyCar when his time in F1 is up

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez has no interest in a switch to the IndyCar Series whenever his time comes to an end in Formula 1. 

The 34-year-old Mexican signed an extension back in June to remain with Red Bull through 2026.

However, the new deal has been called into question after Perez has only achieved a best result of sixth at the Dutch Grand Prix in the races since it was announced. 

IndyCar has been a common destination for F1 veterans who have lost their seat in recent season, notably the likes of Marcus Ericsson  – winner of the 2022 Indianapolis 500 – and Romain Grosjean. 

But Perez says he has no interest in following in their footsteps. At a small media roundtable during a Honda event last week, Perez was asked by Autosport if there is any desire to move to IndyCar once his F1 career ends.

“Not really,” Perez said. “If I’m honest, because I think one of the reasons I’ll stop the day when I stop, it’s because I’ve done it enough. I’ve done it enough at this level of F1.

Romain Grosjean, Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images

“With the tight schedule that we have, I’ve got some small kids at home, so I’d like to spend more time with them, with the family. I think it’s really hard to get what you used to get from F1, in that regard.

“I think going into Indy, I have a lot of respect for what the drivers do. At the same time, there are drivers that are not very experienced in the series and doing those sorts of speeds, and having that sort of impact is not something that I’m willing to do once I finish my [F1] career.” 

Although the six-time F1 race winner isn’t interested in the open-wheeled American series, he’s not opposed to trying out other events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Daytona 24 Hours.

When asked if he could instead make one-off appearances in various categories, Perez replied: “Yeah, doing one or two races a year. I think it’s something as a driver, you’re going to be looking at very soon because it’s really hard to stop completely.”