Sergio Perez says “nobody told me anything” about his impendi🔥ng exit from the Racing Point Formula 1 team until Wednesday, th🔯e day he announced his departure.

Perez will leave Racing Point at the end of the season and be 🧜replaced by four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who will join from Ferrari when the team rebrands to Racing Point.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Tuscan Grand Prix, Perez admitted he “didn’t expect” a phone call from Racing Point 💜owner Lawrence Stroll informing him that his contract was being cut short.

"I got the iꦑnformation yesterday, nobody told me anything but I already knew and fꦕigured out a couple of things. The final confirmation came yesterday," Perez said.

“I got the call𒅌 from Law🎀rence yesterday and he told me that they are going in another direction.”

The Mexican was contracted to th🍷e Silverstone outfit until 20ಞ22 and had recently insisted he was confident of staying with the team for next year.

“The feedback I was getting was that everything was looking that the team wanted🎃 to keep me,” he explained.

“There were some discussions in t♚he background about contracts and so on which I am not willing to disclose because I think that those things should remain between the team and myself.

“But💯 there were a couple of things in the contract t꧒hat we went through but in the end they officially told me yesterday that we were not continuing.

“I didn’t expect that but it is how it is.”

Perez now faces an uncertain future with limited seats remaining on the grid for 2✅021. His best options appear to be at either Alfa Romeo or⭕ Haas.

The Mexican said he would “rather retire” than🔯 take a sabbatical because “once you go out, you may never co☂me back”.

“I think everything is an option right now,” he replied when asked if a switch to In🍌dyCar or even Formula E would be of inಞterest to him.

“My main target is to remain i💃n F1. I feel that I am still very young and hungry. I want to carry on in F1 but it has to be the right package that really gives me the maximum motivation to give my hundred percent every lap.

“It’s also going 💃to be a long-term project, targeting 2022 because I expect the rule cha𝐆nges to have a major effect.

“That’s the main reason I want to continue for 2022 because I feel that there will be plenty of opp✨ortunities. I certainly think that 2021 cou🐟ld be a difficult year in that regard but you never know.

“There certainly are options out there and I don’t expect to make a decision any time soon. I will take th🔯e time required and if I don’t find anything attractive in F1 I will look at other series and other things.”