Sergio Perez’s father, Antonio Pérez Garibay, wants an apology from those who claimed his son would announce his F1 retirement in Mexico and countered by saying “he will here for the next two years”.

Nearing the end of a “terrible season” in his own words, Perez’s place on the Formula 1 grid has been the subject of much speculation.

Antonio Perez Garibay pictured at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix

Papa Perez: The Mexican driver will be here for the next two years

One rumour ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix was that he would announce his retirement at his home race with Perez opting to jump before he gets pushed.

According to respected F1 journalist Joe Saward, Red Bull and Perez had “worked out a plan” to make the announcement in Mexico, “giving him a more gentle exit than being fired and will be less painful for Red Bull sales in the Americas”.

Perez responded to that on social media with a clip from ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ in which lead actor Leonard di Capri repeats the phrase “I’m not leaving!”

Perez explained that to the media including PlanetF1.com: “I just felt like, you know, it’s been every year for the last two years or so that someone creates this rumour and then everyone picks it up.

“Then all my fans, obviously I’m very conscious that there is a lot of people coming to support me to the Mexican Grand Prix, and they probably might be expecting something that is not true.

“And I felt the need to just say, look, I think it’s just not correct to spread just rumours like this without knowing the facts.”

The Mexican Grand Prix came and went without any announcement, and now Perez’s father wants an apology.

“The media that said in Mexico he was no longer racing, that he was saying goodbye, should at least apologise,” Papa Perez told the ESPN Racing podcast.

Perez Snr. is adamant his son, who signed a new two-year deal in May, won’t be dropped at the end of this season despite reports linking Liam Lawson and Franco Colapinto to the Mexican driver’s race seat.

“He will be here for the next two years,” he added. “He has said it, he plans to retire with Red Bull, he was given the opportunity.”

As for suggestions that Red Bull are playing favourites with Perez yet to receive the team’s latest floor upgrade, Papa Perez insisted the team is doing what they can to ensure they finish the season on a high.

“Red Bull is the most professional team at the moment, the World Champion team,” he said. “They are doing what is necessary to return, not only with Checo’s car, but with Max Verstappen’s car.

“They are fighting for the championship. I think Max can be World Champion again and Red Bull is preparing to be among the top three places. The restructuring of Red Bull will come at the end of the year.”

Red Bull are reportedly considering Lawson as a potential replacement for Perez, the New Zealander scoring points in two of his three races back on the grid with VCARB.

Colapinto is also in the running, either as a VCARB driver if Lawson joins Red Bull or, it has been suggested, even taking the role of Max Verstappen’s 2025 team-mate in place of Perez. Lawson would then remain with VCARB.

Perez has scored just 151 points this season compared to Verstappen’s 393 and that’s had a notable impact on Red Bull’s position in the Constructors’ Championship with the team only third, 49 points off the pace.