Sergio Perez has opened up about his ongoing contract negotiations with Red Bull after a deadline was set.
Team director Helmut Marko has indicated he remains their top choice to partner Max Verstappen next season. But the 34-year-old Mexican is yet to receive an offer he's satisfied with.
Perez is reportedly pushing for a multi-year contract, but Marko reportedly only wants to hand out a year's extension. Speaking to Kleine Zeitung, the latter said: "The talks are still ongoing, and Checo is still our first option."
He went on to hint at a resolution by the time the F1 season reaches the halfway stage. He added: "We want to have clarity on this before the summer break, although we are certainly not putting any pressure on ourselves."
Despite that only being a couple of months away, Perez's current focus is on the task at hand for this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix. Via Crash.net, he told reporters: "I think like I've said before, my main focus for this weekend isn't on my contract.
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"I know that negotiations are underway and at some point we will know and you will be the first ones to know. But the most important now is not to think about one year or two years or three years, it's about this weekend on Saturday, that's my full focus.
"It's not like a percentage or anything like that, until you don't sign it doesn't matter how close you are. Nothing's been signed yet, and anyway the focus right now is not on my contract, it's mainly on this weekend."
Helmut Marko is said to have laughed off Perez's contract request (Getty Images)Former Dutch driver Robert Doornbos, now a commentator for Ziggo Sport, previously claimed Marko had laughed off Perez's request for a long-term agreement, reports the Express.
"Perez went to that team and said 'I want a three-year deal'," Doornbos said in April. "At the table, there is a laughing reaction to the anecdote. Laughable, indeed. That request is rejected by Marko.
"He says 'no way, you have to give him a deal for a maximum of one year. Because if you give him a two-year deal, he'll sit back and give up again. Let him run every year'."
Perez might be tempted by a long-term contract from Sauber, set to become the factory Audi team in 2026, and there are whispers about a possible move to Williams. Should he leave, Red Bull would need to explore other options, with Yuki Tsunoda being a potential choice.
"He is, of course, also part of the talks," 81-year-old Marko added. "In general, we have several options in his contract to commit him for several years."
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