Sergio Perez: 2013 season with McLaren damaged my F1 career
Sergio Perez believes his season with McLaren in 2013 was damaging for his reputation in Formula 1

The Mexican was signed to replace Lewis Hamilton off the back of a 2012 campaign where he scored three podiums for Sauber, but his arrival coincided with a slump in form for McLaren and he was dropped after just one season.
Perez, who cut his ties to Ferrari to take the McLaren drive, said it has been hard work to repair the damage that 2013 season did to his career.
"At that time, McLaren was winning for a couple of years already - it was the team to be at," Perez told reporters at Spa on Thursday ahead of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.
"Obviously in hindsight, it damaged quite a bit my reputation because when a big team gets rid of you after a year, it damages your reputation in the sport.
"But I believe my results in the past year and this year if I have strong results, then the opportunity could come back in the future to go to a top team."
Perez added he still has close links to Ferrari, and he believes he could have eventually landed a race drive with the Italian outfit if he had not taken the McLaren offer.
"The relationship with Ferrari is still good," he said, claiming he has not given up on wearing the team's famous red colours one day.
"In the past I was really close to drive for the team. In F1 you never know what can happen.
"I had to stay at Sauber for one more year [2013] and then go to Ferrari, but then the opportunity with McLaren came."
Perez said he understood why Ferrari opted to retain Kimi Raikkonen for 2016, despite a couple of tough seasons for the Finn.
"I wasn't surprised - Ferrari wants some stability now with so many changes they've had in the past," he said.
"The season for Kimi has been very up and down and he's been very unlucky as well.
"I think they have big plans for next year."

Details of new Formula 1 radio restrictions for 2016 revealed
Kimi Raikkonen predicts 'great things' with new Ferrari F1 deal

Latest news
NASCAR bans Chastain Martinsville wall-ride manoeuvre
NASCAR has decided to ban the wall-ride manoeuvre made famous by Ross Chastain at Martinsville that secured him a place in the Championship 4.
Gasly: Mindset for Alpine is "completely different" to Red Bull F1 move
Pierre Gasly says he has a "completely different" mindset for his Alpine Formula 1 move thanks to lessons taken from his failed stint at Red Bull in 2019.
GTD Pro win a “proper send-off” for retiring IMSA stalwart MacNeil
Winning the GTD Pro class at the Daytona 24 Hours was a fitting way for Cooper MacNeil to retire from racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, says team-mate Jules Gounon.
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing
The potential-laden F1 car that Ferrari neglected
The late Mauro Forghieri played a key role in Ferrari’s mid-1960s turnaround, says STUART CODLING, and his pretty, intricate 1512 was among the most evocative cars of the 1.5-litre era. But a victim of priorities as Formula 1 was deemed less lucrative than success in sportscars, its true potential was never seen in period
Why Vasseur relishes 'feeling the pressure' as Ferrari's F1 boss
OPINION: Fred Vasseur has spent only a few weeks as team principal for the Ferrari Formula 1 team, but is already intent on taking the Scuderia back to the very top. And despite it being arguably the most demanding job in motorsport, the Frenchman is relishing the challenge
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? LUKE SMITH asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.