Sergio Perez shares why he rejected signing for Ferrari to join ‘the worst year in McLaren’s history’

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Every Formula 1 driver can tell stories of moments where their careers could have changed in an instant by making one different split-second decision.

Sergio Perez is very much in that camp, having been on the grid for more than a decade and now preparing for a return in 2026 with Cadillac.

The Mexican driver made his debut with Sauber in 2011, a well-trodden route for youngsters coming through the Ferrari academy.

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Charles Leclerc followed in his footsteps years later, but two years with the Swiss outfit was enough for Perez to attract the attention of some of the sport’s biggest teams.

The six-time race winner has now described what happened in the build-up to the 2013 F1 season.

Although a move to Ferrari was in Perez’s future, he instead ended up at McLaren, which turned out to be a nearly career-ending move.

READ MORE: Cadillac driver Sergio Perez’s life outside F1 from net worth to nickname

Sergio Perez describes his impatient decision to join McLaren over Ferrari

Perez was speaking on the Cracks Podcast and discussing how his one-year stint at McLaren came about. He said: “Yes, it all happened very quickly.

“I was the most sought-after driver on the grid, which is what young drivers usually want, right? When a young driver arrives and gets results very quickly, all the teams want him because you don’t know what he can achieve, right? So I had three different options from three big teams.

“One of them was obviously Ferrari, because I got into Formula 1 thanks to Ferrari for being part of their academy, and the logical thing was to continue down that path.

“But Ferrari couldn’t offer me a seat until 2014. I was desperate, wasn’t I? You’re young, you want to go to the best team and start fighting for championships.

“I was desperate, and out of nowhere, the opportunity came along.

“We never thought that there were two teams where I would never race, which were McLaren and Red Bull, because they always seem to be very set in their ways due to their academy, right? And then McLaren came along.

“Hamilton was leaving the team, so McLaren came along, very confident and everything, and they offered me a contract, and I took the contract. It was my moment.”

Perez was ‘kicked’ out of McLaren after one season, before rebuilding his F1 career with Force India and Racing Point, before eventually ending up at Red Bull.

READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Sergio Perez talks about driving for McLaren during the ‘worst year’ in their history

McLaren finished fifth in the constructors’ championship during Perez’s only campaign with the team.

They failed to score a single podium, and Perez’s teammate, Jenson Button, outscored him by 24 points in the standings.

Describing his time with the team, Perez admitted: “McLaren had made the best car in its history.

“They made the front of a McLaren, the middle of a Red Bull and the back of a Ferrari. So it was the best car we had ever made.

“They had been fighting for the championship the year before, so the rules didn’t change much. It’s very rare for a team to take such a big step backwards.

“And it turned out to be the worst year in McLaren’s history. This was right when I was in my third year of Formula 1, and there was a clause that they had to renew my contract.

“In the end, they didn’t renew it, but they told me very late in the year. Very late in the year, and I was left without a seat.”

In terms of McLaren’s worst years in their history, Button experienced two more traumatic campaigns before leaving F1.

The Woking-based team finished ninth in the championship in 2015 and 2017, while McLaren’s Spygate controversy in 2008 saw them get disqualified from the standings.