Sergio Perez’s father has hinted that the former Red Bull driver’s next move could take him to Formula E, claiming the all-electric series will be the “main” category of motorsport within five years.

Perez vacated his Red Bull seat last month, with New Zealand youngster Liam Lawson stepping up from the Racing Bulls (previously VCARB) junior team to become Max Verstappen’s new team-mate for the F1 2025 season.

Sergio Perez to turn to Formula E after Red Bull F1 exit?

Perez’s departure came after a damaging final season with Red Bull, which saw the Mexican driver fail to register a podium finish after the fifth race in China.

His lack of contribution saw Red Bull dethroned as Constructors’ Champions, with the Milton Keynes-based team slipping to a disappointing third behind McLaren and Ferrari.

Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, confirmed that Perez will maintain ties to the team with a number of showruns – public demonstrations of old F1 cars, often taking place on the streets of major cities – planned for F1 2025.

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Perez, who will turn 35 later this month, made his first public appearance since vacating his Red Bull seat at a press conference in Leon last week.

The Guadalajara-born star revealed that he will take six months to reflect before deciding whether he wants to mount a potential F1 comeback.

He told reporters: “My priority is to enjoy myself, to do things I haven’t done, to be with my family.

“In the next six months, I will make a decision on what I want for the next step in my career.

“It’s too early to give an answer as to whether I intend to return to Formula 1. Everything happened very quickly at the end of last season, I didn’t expect to leave the team.

“My biggest motivation now is to take my children on a good path and be more present in their lives.

“I am very excited to be with my family because in F1 you only think about being a better driver, preparing yourself better, you don’t have time for anything else.”

Perez’s father, Antonio Perez Garibay, was a constant presence by his son’s side in F1, stretching back to his debut season with the Sauber team in 2011.

And he has hinted that Perez’s next step could see him move to Formula E, the electric-based single-seater category established in 2014, claiming it could surpass F1 as the premier motorsport series within the next five years.

According to Spanish outlet Marca, he said: “Formula E is a category that has been going for 11 years and is still rising.

“Now it is the second best category and in five years it will be the main one.

“Watch out, we might see Checo Perez racing here. That wouldn’t be a problem.”

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Mr Perez Garibay’s comments come after claims that Perez’s portfolio of Latin American sponsors are likely to flood to Alpine following the team’s signing of Argentina star Franco Colapinto for the F1 2025 season.

Colapinto will start the season as Alpine’s reserve driver, having impressed during a nine-race cameo with Williams in the second half of F1 2024.

The 21-year-old is widely expected to be promoted to an Alpine race seat during F1 2025 with doubts over the long-term future of Jack Doohan.

Speaking to ESPN last October, Carlos Slim, the president of key Perez backer Escuderia Telmex, confirmed that he would be interested in exploring a sponsorship arrangement with Colapinto.

Yet he insisted that the company will maintain its ties to Perez, with a potential deal for Colapinto separate from its commitment to the former Red Bull driver.

Slim said: “We have been with many drivers many times.

“We were with Bruno Senna, we were with Pietro Fittipaldi and we were with the two Mexican drivers, with Checo and with Esteban [Gutierez].

“If there was an opportunity to talk about something with Franco, it would not be anything related to Checo.

“We always seek to support Latin American drivers, Franco is doing very well.”

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