Sergio Perez explains The Wolf of Wall Street ‘I’m not leaving’ post

Sergio Perez felt the need to post his The Wolf of Wall Street ‘I’m not leaving’ message on social media in light of false rumours that he’s about to announce his F1 retirement.

After a glowing first season with Red Bull in which he helped Max Verstappen win the World title, Perez’s future at the team has been extended year on year but not without questions being raised.

Sergio Perez quitting F1? “Not true!”

Additional reporting by Elizabeth Blackstock

Although the Mexican driver has won five races with the team, his highs have been blighted by extreme lows, especially when compared to his team-mate Max Verstappen’s results.

That latest, which includes a 13-race run without a single podium finish, once again has F1’s rumour mill claiming his days are numbered.

Although Perez signed a two-year extension with Red Bull back in May, F1 journalist Joe Saward reported a rumour was doing the rounds at the Marina Bay circuit that Perez would announce his retirement at the upcoming Mexican Grand Prix.

It’s the second year that the driver has been subjected to that rumour and after 2023’s “just laughing at it” rebuttal, this year he used Leonardo di Caprio for inspiration, posting a clip of the actor from The Wolf of Wall Street repeating the phrase “I’m not leaving”.

Asked about his social media post in the build-up to the United States Grand Prix, the Red Bull driver told 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.”

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Although Perez survived what was expected to be a summer break cull of Red Bull drivers and saw off the challenge of Daniel Ricciardo, he’s now facing a new threat in Liam Lawson.

The Kiwi has replaced Ricciardo for the final six races of the 2024 season in what’s being billed as an audition for a 2025 race seat.

But while initially it was thought he was vying to be Yuki Tsunoda’s team-mate, it’s since been suggested he could even replace Perez if he performs well enough with team boss Christian Horner admitting the decision to put Lawson in the car “goes beyond VCARB, it encompasses Red Bull Racing”.

Asked about that potential shoot-out and the importance of the final six races, Perez said: “No, it’s not something that I really think about it. I think it’s we are fully focused as a team on the upgrade package, on bringing our system back on track.

“I know that if the car is competitive, if we fix the issue, we’ll be back to being competitive. We know what the issue has been for a long period of time.

“So I’m more concerned on that than reading the news or getting any headlines.”

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