Perez 'not bothered' by early driver market activity

Sergio Perez isn't becoming distracted by his current situation looking ahead to 2025, despite Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari having resulted in an early start to 'silly season'.

With 13 drivers – including Perez – being without a contract for next year, seats are slowly starting to fill up. Ferrari now have no seats available until at least 2027, whilst Williams Team Principal James Vowles has revealed that Alex Albon is contracted until the end of 2025.

Perez does have possible options in top teams if Red Bull opt against retaining him for next year, given that Mercedes and Aston Martin both currently have one seat available.

However, following Hamilton announcing his Ferrari switch for next year, it's expected that drivers will try to seal their seat on the 2025 grid earlier than usual. Typically, driver transfers aren't usually announced until the traditional summer break, although it's a rarity for 65% of the grid being in need of a new deal.

The amount of drivers requiring a new contract could result in many pushing beyond their limits in the opening rounds, to convince either their current side or a different team to offer them a contract.

Entering the final year of a contract isn't an unfamiliar position for Perez, who is set to embark on his 14th season at the pinnacle of motorsport. His experience and knowledge could play a huge role in him securing a spot on the 2025 grid, although he's not thinking about it too much.

Perez is distancing himself from the driver market activity as he believes he should be focusing on his performances rather than his contract, with the Mexican knowing that things will fall into place naturally if he delivers for Red Bull in 2024.

Perez taking new approach

"I'm sure that most of the drivers are going to be willing to get things done a lot earlier in the year," Perez told select media including RacingNews365. "But it's just the approach you have, from my side, I'm just focusing on having a great year.

"The rest always takes care of itself, as long as you're performing on track, the rest always comes in place. So I'm not really bothered about it. It's my 14th season in F1, so for me my main target is hitting it well on track."

To ensure that he performs at his best in each Grand Prix, Perez is taking a new approach into the 2024 season with him set to focus on one race at a time.

"I think just taking it race by race, making sure that we maximise every single weekend will be the target," added Perez. "Like I said, that's absolutely my goal for this year, just take it race by race."