After a deadline was established, Sergio Perez spoke candidly about his continuing contract talks with Red Bull.

According to team director Helmut Marko, he is still the team’s top pick to partner with Max Verstappen in the upcoming season. However, the 34-year-old Mexican has not yet received a satisfactory offer.

According to reports, Marko is only willing to grant a one-year extension, despite Perez’s insistence on a multi-year contract. The later remarked in an interview with Kleine Zeitung: “The talks are still ongoing, and Checo is still our first option.”

By the time the Formula One season approaches the halfway point, he continued to allude to a resolution. He continued: “We want to have clarity on this before the summer break, although we are certainly not putting any pressure on ourselves.”

Perez’s immediate emphasis is on the task at hand for this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, even though that is still a few months away. He stated to reporters via Crash.net: “I think, as I’ve mentioned previously, that this weekend isn’t really about my contract.

“I am aware that talks are taking place, and you will be the first to find out when we find out. But right now, my entire attention is on this weekend on Saturday; I’m not thinking about one, two, or three years ahead of time.

It doesn’t matter how close you are until you don’t sign, so it’s not like a percentage or anything. Nothing has been signed yet, and nonetheless, this weekend is the main emphasis right now rather than my contract.”

According to the Express, former Dutch driver Robert Doornbos, who is currently a commentator for Ziggo Sport, had earlier stated that Marko had dismissed Perez’s demand for a long-term contract.

Doornbos stated in April that Perez “went to that team and said ‘I want a three-year deal.'” The anecdote is met with laughter around the table. Funny, that is. Marko sends that request back.

“No way, you have to give him a deal that lasts no longer than a year,” he argues. For if you offer him a two-year contract, he will back down and give up once more. Allow him to run each year.”

A long-term deal from Sauber, which is slated to become the factory Audi team in 2026, may entice Perez, and there have been rumblings about a potential transfer to Williams. If he were to depart, Red Bull would have to look into other possibilities; Yuki Tsunoda may be one of them.

Adding, “He is, of course, also part of the talks,” was Marko, 81. “In general, we have several options in his contract to commit him for several years.”