"We'd definitely be interested": When Zak Brown offered Sergio Perez a McLaren IndyCar seat

Sergio Perez was at a crossroads in his F1 career in September 2020, after Racing Point (now Aston Martin) signed 4x champ Sebastian Vettel to replace him from 2021 onwards. McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown jumped at the opportunity to lure the Mexican driver to the racing organization's IndyCar team, Arrow McLaren.

In an interview with Motorsport, Brown admitted that Perez might presumably sign with Haas or Alfa Romeo (now Sauber) for the 2021 season, but couldn't resist pitching the IndyCar offer.

"He’ll probably end up in Formula 1, is my guess, at either Haas or Alfa Romeo. But if he had an interest in IndyCar, I think he’s a great racecar driver, and we’d definitely be interested in talking to him," Brown said.

Then, Arrow McLaren only ran two full-time entries in the premier American open-wheel series, with Pato O'Ward and Oliver Askew piloting the No. 5 and No. 7 cars in 2020.

"We would need the funding for three cars, and at this point we only have the funding for two cars," Brown admitted. "So we wouldn’t be in a position to sign him today, but it would be something that, in-between the backing that he’s historically had, and the commercial activity that we’ve got going on, and the excitement someone like Sergio would create, we would certainly look to see if we could put it together."

Sergio Perez wasn't done with his F1 career and no further such talks were discussed in the media. In October of that year, Zak Brown signed Chip Ganassi Racing's Felix Rosenqvist to replace Oliver Askew at Arrow McLaren in 2021.

Perez's waiting game worked to perfection as he rewrote F1 history at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. On his 190th F1 start, the then-Racing Point driver went from last to first to win his first-ever F1 race. This performance made Red Bull, who was looking to replace Alex Albon, sit up and take notice, before officially signing him on a two-year deal in December 2020. The rest is history with a bitter ending.

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When Sergio Perez backed McLaren's IndyCar star Pato O'Ward for an F1 switch

Pato O'Ward at the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico - Qualifying - Source: Getty

Sergio Perez isn't Mexico's only racer who made waves in the open-wheel circuit. While the 35-year-old recorded six race wins and many podiums in his 15-year F1 career, a budding Mexican racer with an F1 dream, Pato O'Ward, made his name in IndyCar.

O'Ward has raced for Arrow McLaren since 2020 and recorded seven IndyCar race wins. He is also a reserve driver for McLaren's F1 team. In November 2024, Sergio Perez expressed how he'd love to see his young compatriot in an F1 car soon.

"Pato is a very good driver. He has certainly done very well in America, and I hope he can get a chance to do something in Formula 1. I would be very happy if he can achieve that soon," he said in an interview shared by @scheconews on X.

If Sergio Perez had accepted Zak Brown's IndyCar offer, he would've been teammates with Pato O'Ward in an all-Mexican line-up for Arrow McLaren.