Sergio Perez says his early Formula 1 career moved so quickly that he barely had time to think about the choices in front of him. Speaking on the Cracks podcast, the Mexican driver explained how strong results with Sauber suddenly made him a target for several top teams. “It was very quick,” Perez said. “I was the most wanted driver on the grid. Normally when a young driver arrives and gets results quickly, all teams want him because they don’t know what he can achieve.”

Perez entered Formula 1 in 2011 with Sauber. During the first year, he steadily closed the gap to his more experienced teammate Kamui Kobayashi and showed strong race pace. He also impressed with his tyre management, which quickly became one of his main strengths and at the end finished his debut season in 16th place.

His real breakthrough came in 2012. Perez scored three podium finishes, including standout performances against much faster cars, and ended the season tenth overall, two places ahead of his teammate. These results were seen as exceptional for the Sauber team at the time and confirmed Perez as one of the most promising young drivers on the grid. As a result, he was firmly in the spotlight and suddenly had opportunities that many young drivers only dream of.

At the time, Perez was part of Ferrari’s driver academy, which naturally made Ferrari one of the main options. He explained that staying on that path made sense, but timing was a problem. “One option was obviously Ferrari, because I got to Formula 1 thanks to Ferrari, being part of their academy,” Perez said. “The logical thing was to follow that path, but Ferrari couldn’t offer me a seat until 2014.” For a young driver full of ambition, waiting was not easy. “I was already desperate, young, you want it already,” he added. “It was the best team to start fighting for championships, and I was desperate.”

Perez also revealed that McLaren was never a team he expected to drive for. “I always thought there were two teams I’d never drive for: McLaren and Red Bull, because they always have their drivers forged through their academy,” he said. Still, the situation changed quickly when Lewis Hamilton decided to leave McLaren. “Out of nowhere the option comes,”Perez explained. McLaren were suddenly under pressure and moved fast to secure a replacement.

There was also a possible route to Mercedes. Perez said that if Hamilton had stayed at McLaren, he could have ended up at the Brackley-based team instead. “They were nervous because Hamilton was leaving,” he said. “If Hamilton didn’t go to Mercedes, I also had the Mercedes option.” In the end, McLaren made their move first. “McLaren came very convinced and offered me a contract, and I took it,” Perez concluded