Perez not yet thinking about 2023 contract

Sergio Perez denies he is already champing at the bit to sign a third Red Bull contract for 2023.

Last week, the energy drink company’s notorious F1 driver manager Dr Helmut Marko said next year is the final installation in Alpha Tauri star Pierre Gasly’s Red Bull deal.

"If this contract expires and we can’t offer him a chance for promotion, we will most likely lose him and we don’t want that," the Austrian said.

For his part, 26-year-old Frenchman Gasly insists he deserves another shot at the seat alongside Max Verstappen, having struggled prior to his 2019 demotion.

But while that chatter proceeds, Verstappen’s current teammate Sergio Perez insists he is focused on the present rather than the future.

"I’ve been in Formula 1 for 12 years," the 32-year-old Mexican said.

"I’m so focused on this season that I haven’t even thought about it. Eventually it will come and it won’t take long in either direction, but it’s something I haven’t thought about yet."

Perez, who was on pole in Saudi Arabia, insists he is performing well so far in 2022 alongside world champion Verstappen, with whom he says he has a "very good relationship".

"We are more alike than people think," ’Checo’ said. "F1 is not everything, we have a life outside of the sport and that is why we respect each other and have good times together, which I think is also important for the team."

Perez says he is looking forward to continuing Red Bull’s head-to-head with Ferrari throughout 2022.

"Having another team fighting up front is interesting," he said, "but it will be interesting to see how Ferrari can maintain this pace.

"The championship is very demanding from the first to the last race."