Red Bull driver Sergio Perez admitted that he thought about his retirement from Formula One this season, but quickly dismissed the idea and is fully focused on seeing out his contract with the team.

Perez is tied down until 2027, having penned a new deal with Christian Horner’s outfit in June, but currently sits eighth in the Drivers’ Championship and has less than half the points of his team-mate Max Verstappen.

Red Bull are not afraid to part ways with an underperforming driver, recently highlighted by the decision to replace Daniel Ricciardo with Liam Lawson at sister team VCARB, possibly as an audition for the New Zealander to one day race alongside Verstappen.

If Lawson impresses, as he previously did before being beaten to a VCARB seat by Ricciardo, the pressure will once again be placed on Perez - with few options likely to remain for the 34-year-old.

But for now at least, retirement is off the cards. “These past six months I did think about it (leaving F1), but it took me three seconds to make the decision,” Perez told DAZN. “In the end, it would be the easy route, after so many years to quit and kind of give up. I would never have forgiven myself for that.

“I want to finish my career when I want and not when someone tells me. That’s my main focus: to get to the point where I can decide my future. For now I am very motivated, to be honest, I really want to continue in F1. I enjoy it. Especially the good times you really enjoy, but you also learn to enjoy the bad ones.”

Perez did admit, however, that “the end is getting closer” as he competes in the twilight of his career. The veteran has retained the support of Horner despite his struggles, which have now extended to Verstappen, and quashed the suggestion of following in Fernando Alonso’s footsteps.

The Aston Martin man is racing at the age of 43 and appears to be gearing up for another new era under Adrian Newey, but Perez doubts he will spend another decade in the sport.

“For now I have two more years on my contract, and two years in F1 is a long time, but I know that the end is getting closer,” he added. “I don’t see myself racing here like Fernando, for example, whom I admire greatly for everything he does at his age.

“It’s not that I wouldn’t like to, but because I have small children and I want to spend a lot more time with them. At the end of the day, they will be the limiting factor.”