Sergio Perez hands ex-Formula 1 team brutal 'I'd rather stop' admission

Sergio Perez has delivered a brutal admission regarding former Formula 1 team Caterham, revealing that he would have rather stopped racing in F1 than join them following his exit from McLaren in 2013.

Perez raced for McLaren for the 2013 season alongside Jenson Button but was not retained by the Woking-based outfit for a second campaign.

It was a difficult year for Perez at McLaren, which struggled with a largely uncompetitive package that saw the Mexican achieve just one top-five finish, at the Indian Grand Prix.

Much was expected of Perez with the British squad, having shown great promise during his first two seasons in Formula 1 with Sauber.

McLaren informed Perez of its decision not to renew his contract late in the year, putting the 35-year-old on the brink of leaving F1.

Just two options were on the table in the pinnacle of motorsport for Perez: Caterham and Force India. He opted for the latter and led the team magnificently for seven years, a spell that ultimately resulted in his move to Red Bull.

Perez was adamant that he would not join backmarker Caterham, revealing that he would have left Formula 1 had it been his only option.

Discussing his McLaren exit on the Cracks podcast, Perez said: "It was frustrating. It was a difficult year because I was fighting with Jenson [Button], a driver already very established in the team, a world champion. 

"I had a very good year in terms of speed and everything, but we could never show it because we never progressed with the car. They decided not to renew me, and in October-November I had no place in Formula 1. 

"There were two teams left: Caterham and Force India. Caterham wasn’t an option – I was clear, I wasn’t going to Caterham, I’d rather stop in Formula 1. Yeah, stopping Formula 1 was on the table. It was a very real option. 

"Looking for another category, maybe one more year, see if I could come back. It wasn’t an option. And when Force India came up, it was an option – on paper good, but not what I expected.

"Imagine, I went from being at the top to no seat to, well, a good place with Force India, and those were my best years in Formula 1."