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Sergio Michel "Checo" Pérez Mendoza (; born 26 January 1990) is a Mexican
https://bolavip.com/en The brothers are friends of Mexican footballer Javier Hernández. In an interview in 2012 for the official Formula One website, Pérez revealed that if he had not been a driver he would have liked to have been a lawyer.
racing driver
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...
who races in Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
for Red Bull Racing, having previously driven for Sauber, McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formul ...
, Force India
Force India Formula One Team Limited, commonly known as Force India and later Sahara Force India, was a Formula One racing team and constructor based in Silverstone, United Kingdom, with an Indian licence. The team was formed in October 20 ...
, and Racing Point
Racing Point F1 Team, which competed as BWT Racing Point F1 Team and commonly known as Racing Point, was a British motor racing team and constructor that Racing Point UK entered into the Formula One World Championship. The team was based in ...
. He has won Grand Prix races and scored podium finishes.
He won his first Grand Prix driving for Racing Point at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix
The 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Rolex Sakhir Grand Prix 2020) was a Formula One motor race that took place on 6 December 2020. The race was contested over 87 laps of the 'Outer Circuit' configuration of the Bahrain ...
, breaking the record for the number of starts before a race win at 190. He earned his first Formula One pole position
In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the rac ...
at the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
The 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2022) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 27 March 2022 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia. It was the second edition of the ...
, breaking the record for the most races before a first pole position at 215.
Up until 2012, Pérez was a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy. He made his Formula One debut driving for Sauber during the 2011 season. He took his first Formula One podium at the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix
The 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix (officially the 2012 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 25 March 2012 at the Sepang International Circuit in Selangor, Malaysia. It was the fourteenth running of the Malay ...
with Sauber. Due to his young age and performance, he was referred to as "The Mexican Wunderkind
A child prodigy is defined in psychology research literature as a person under the age of ten who produces meaningful output in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to young people who are extraor ...
". Pérez joined McLaren for the 2013 season, but the team did not score a single podium finish. Subsequently, the team decided to replace Pérez with Kevin Magnussen
Kevin Jan Magnussen (born 5 October 1992) is a Danish racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Haas F1 Team.
He is the son of four-time Le Mans winner and former Formula One driver Jan Magnussen. Kevin Magnussen came up through McLa ...
for the 2014 season.
Force India signed Pérez for the 2014 season with a €15 million contract. He remained with Force India when the team went into administration in 2018 and reformed as the Racing Point team for 2019. He raced for Racing Point until the end of 2020, when the team announced that Pérez would be replaced at the end of the season by Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel (; born 3 July 1987) is a German racing driver who competed in Formula One from 2007 to 2022 for BMW Sauber, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Toro Rosso, Red Bull Racing, Red Bull, Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari, and Aston Martin in Formula One ...
. Pérez then signed with Red Bull Racing for the 2021 season.
He has won 5 races with the team, most recently the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and finished runner-up to teammate Max Verstappen
Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Belgian-Dutch Auto racing, racing driver and the 2021 Formula One World Championship, 2021 and 2022 Formula One World Championship, 2022 Formula One World Champion. He Formula One drivers ...
in the 2023 Drivers' Championship. He is currently under contract with Red Bull Racing until the end of the 2026 season.
Personal life
Born inGuadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
, Jalisco
Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...
, Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, Pérez is the youngest child of Antonio Pérez Garibay and Marilú Mendoza de Pérez; he also has an older sister Paola and an older brother Antonio
Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...
, a retired stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...
driver who competed in the NASCAR Mexico Series
The NASCAR Mexico Series (formerly NASCAR Corona Series and other names) is a NASCAR series in Mexico. It is the most prestigious stock car racing series in the country.
Origins (Desafío Corona)
The Desafío Corona was established in 2004 by ...
. Pérez is married to Carola Martínez Galindo, and they have four children. Pérez is Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
.
Both Pérez brothers are association football fans, stating that they thought about leaving car racing to play professionally.Formula 1: How did Sergio Perez almost become a soccer player?https://bolavip.com/en The brothers are friends of Mexican footballer Javier Hernández. In an interview in 2012 for the official Formula One website, Pérez revealed that if he had not been a driver he would have liked to have been a lawyer.
Early career
Karting
Pérez began his career in karting at the age of six in 1996. In his first year of competition he achieved four victories in the junior category and claimed the runner-up spot in the category. In 1997, he participated in the karting Youth Class, where he was the youngest driver in the category and earned a win and five podium finishes and finished fourth in the championship. The following year, he returned to compete in the junior category; he achieved eight wins and became the youngest driver to become champion of the category. He also participated in several races in Shifter 125cc and competed in Master Kadets, where he finished on the podium. In 1999, he raced in the 80cc Shifter category, taking three wins and finishing third in the championship. He also became the youngest driver to win a competition in the category, after obtaining special permission from the Federation to participate in the 80cc Shifter. In 2000, he raced in the Shifter 80cc Championship and also participated in three races in the Shifter 125cc category, which was part of the Telmex Challenge. The following year saw him become the youngest driver to compete in the 125cc Shifter Regional category. By now, his achievements were bringing him to the attention of scouts for Escuderia Telmex. With six wins in 2002, Pérez finished as the national runner-up in the Shifter 125cc category, and participated in the global race Shifter 80cc, inLas Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, where he qualified fifth and finished in 11th place.
In 2003, he was leading both championships in the 125cc category but withdrew from the last seven races, which proved to be a disappointment in his title aspirations. However, he finished in third place in Telmex Challenge, in addition to being Cup runner-up in Mexico. In the same year, he was also invited to attend the Easy Kart 125 Shootout, where he competed against drivers from around the world and won the race, again as the youngest driver.
Skip Barber
Pérez competed in the US-basedSkip Barber
John "Skip" Barber III (born November 16, 1936) is an American retired racecar driver who is most famous for previously owning and founding the Skip Barber Racing Schools.
Driving career
Barber started racing in 1958 while studying at Harvard ...
National Championship in 2004. Driving for a team sponsored by Mexican telecommunications company Telmex
Telmex is a Mexican telecommunications company headquartered in Mexico City that provides telecommunications products and services in Mexico. Telmex is still the dominant fixed-line phone carrier in Mexico. In addition to traditional fixed-line ...
, he finished eleventh in the championship.
Formula BMW
Pérez moved to Europe in 2005 to compete in the GermanFormula BMW
Formula BMW was a junior racing formula for single seater cars. It was positioned at the bottom of the motorsport career ladder alongside the longer established Formula Ford category. Like Formula Ford, it was intended to function as the young ...
ADAC series. He was allowed to live in a restaurant owned by his team manager for four months. He finished fourteenth in the championship, driving for 4speed Media, and improved to sixth position the following year.
A1 Grand Prix
In the2006–07 A1 Grand Prix season
The 2006–07 A1 Grand Prix season was the second season for the A1 Grand Prix series.
It began on 1 October 2006, at Circuit Park Zandvoort, and the season ended at Brands Hatch on 29 April 2007. A1 Team Germany won it with 128 points, 35 poin ...
, Pérez took part in a single round of the championship for A1 Team Mexico
A1 Team Mexico is the Mexican team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series.
Management
''A1 Team Mexico'' owners are Juan Cortina and Julio Jáuregui.third-youngest driver to take part in the series.
Pérez drove for the
Pérez started the season with eighth place at the , losing several places on the final lap due to excessively-worn tyres. In the second round at 
In the , Pérez qualified in fifteenth place, citing a handling imbalance and the car feeling "unpredictable" as reasons for the gap to Kobayashi in seventh. He improved to ninth place in the race, but raised poor qualifying form as an issue for the team. On lap 12 of the , he collided with 
For the , Pérez started in 17th position but was able to make his way through the field, and ultimately finished the race in 6th place. At the , he made it into Q3 and qualified fifth fastest. A penalty for Maldonado subsequently promoted Pérez to a career-best fourth on the grid. In the race, he was forced to retire in the first turn of the first lap after
On 28 September 2012, Lewis Hamilton's decision to leave 
At the
On 12 December 2013, Pérez had his drive for
The 2015 season started with a 10th place for Pérez in
Pérez experienced a difficult start to the season for the first four races due to an uncompetitive VJM09, but scored points with a ninth-place in
Pérez finished the first three races of the season outside the points. He then achieved his eighth career podium finish at the 
After the
The 2019 season saw Racing Point Force India become
Pérez had signed a contract extension with Racing Point, for whom he was meant to continue racing until the end of 2022. Three days before the , he tested positive for
Pérez raced for Red Bull Racing in 2021, replacing
Pérez stayed at Red Bull for the 2022 season. In May 2022, shortly after his win in
Pérez started the 2024 season with a second-place finish in the
Season still in progress.
Season still in progress.
Sergio Pérez's Racing Point profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Sergio 1990 births Living people Sportspeople from Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexican expatriate sportspeople in Germany Mexican expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland Mexican Formula One drivers Mexican racing drivers British Formula Three Championship drivers A1 Team Mexico drivers GP2 Series drivers Formula BMW ADAC drivers GP2 Asia Series drivers Sauber Formula One drivers McLaren Formula One drivers Force India Formula One drivers Racing Point Formula One drivers Racing Point Force India Formula One drivers Formula One race winners Mexican Roman Catholics Red Bull Formula One drivers Mücke Motorsport drivers T-Sport drivers Campos Racing drivers Arden International drivers People from Guadalajara, Jalisco
Formula Three
Pérez switched to the British Formula 3 Championship for2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
. Pérez relocated his residence to Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
. He competed in the National Class – for older chassis – with the T-Sport team, winning the championship by a comfortable margin. In the process, he won two-thirds of the races and a similar proportion of pole position
In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the rac ...
s, and finished all but two races on the podium.
For 2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, he and T-Sport graduated to the premier International Class of the championship, where he was one of the few drivers to be equipped with a Mugen Honda
Mugen Motorsports (無限), legally known as M-TEC Company, Ltd., is a Japanese company formed in 1973 by Hirotoshi Honda, the son of Honda, Honda Motor Company founder Soichiro Honda, and Masao Kimura. Mugen, meaning "without limit", "unlimi ...
engine. After leading the championship early in the season, he eventually finished fourth in the drivers' standings.
GP2 Series
Pérez drove for the Campos Grand Prix
Campos Racing is a Spanish motor racing team, founded by former Formula One driver Adrián Campos. The team has been successful in Formula Three and the GP2 Series.
History
After retiring from racing, Campos formed his own team at the end of 19 ...
team in the 2008–09 GP2 Asia Series
The 2008–09 GP2 Asia Series season was the second season of the GP2 Asia Series. It began on 18 October 2008 and ended on 26 April 2009 and consisted of twelve races at six events.
Season summary
All teams from the 2008 GP2 Series season ex ...
, partnering Russian driver Vitaly Petrov. He was the first Mexican driver to compete at this level of motorsport since Giovanni Aloi took part in International Formula 3000 in 1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
. He won his first GP2 Asia Series
The GP2 Asia Series was a form of open wheel motor racing as a result of a spin-off from the GP2 series.
The series was officially announced during the weekend of the 2007 Monaco Grand Prix. GP2 series organiser Bruno Michel commented that "It ...
race at Sakhir
Sakhir ( ) is a desert area located in the Southern Governorate of Bahrain, near Zallaq. It contains the Al-Sakhir Palace, built in 1870.
Camping in Sakhir during the winter months is a popular activity in the country.
Notable sites
In the earl ...
, winning from lights-to-flag in the sprint race having started from pole position
In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the rac ...
. He added a second win at Losail
The Losail International Circuit or Lusail International Circuit (Arabic: حلبة لوسيل الدولية) is a motor racing circuit located just outside the city of Lusail, north of Doha, Qatar.
Built in just under a year by 1,000 workers ...
, during the sprint race of the night meeting in Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
.
He moved to Arden International for the main 2009 GP2 Series
9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding .
Evolution of the Arabic digit
In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...
, driving alongside fellow Formula Three graduate Edoardo Mortara. Pérez finished twelfth in the standings, with a best result of second coming at Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
. In the off-season, he contested two rounds of the 2009–10 GP2 Asia Series
The 2009–10 GP2 Asia Series season was the third season of the GP2 Asia Series. It began on 31 October 2009 and ended on 14 March 2010 after four double-header rounds.
Season summary
All teams from the 2009 GP2 Series season except for Rac ...
for Barwa Addax
Addax, or Barwa Addax was a Spanish motorsport team owned by the bank Addax Capital, which competed in the GP2, GP3 and GP2 Asia Series.
Team history
GP2 Series
Barwa Addax was formed as a result of Alejandro Agag purchase of the Campos Rac ...
, ahead of a 2010 main series campaign with the team. He won five races, and finished second in the standings behind Pastor Maldonado
Pastor Rafael Maldonado Motta (; born 9 March 1985) is a Venezuelan professional racing driver, who competed in Formula One for the Williams (2011–2013) and Lotus (2014–2015) teams and as a Pirelli test driver until 2017. Before entering F ...
.
Formula One
Sauber (2011–2012)
2011
On 4 October 2010, Sauber announced that Pérez would join the team in , replacing Nick Heidfeld. Sauber subsequently announced a partnership with Pérez's sponsorTelmex
Telmex is a Mexican telecommunications company headquartered in Mexico City that provides telecommunications products and services in Mexico. Telmex is still the dominant fixed-line phone carrier in Mexico. In addition to traditional fixed-line ...
. He became the fifth Mexican to compete in Formula One, and the first since Héctor Rebaque competed between 1977 and 1981. He also became a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy scheme in October 2010.
Pérez finished seventh in his first race, the , impressing observers by stopping to change tyres only once, becoming the only driver in the field to make fewer than two stops. However, both Sauber cars were subsequently disqualified for infringing technical regulations. He failed to repeat the result in Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
where body parts flew off Sébastien Buemi's Toro Rosso car and into the electrical system of Pérez's Sauber, forcing his retirement. The saw him start in 12th position and he struggled during the race as well as making contact with several drivers en route to 17th. He followed that up with fourteenth in Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, before a ninth-place finish in Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
– ahead of teammate Kamui Kobayashi
is a Japanese professional racing driver who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota Gazoo Racing (GR) and in the Super Formula Championship for KCMG . He previously competed in Formula One, Formula E, the GP2 Series, and the ...
in tenth – to take his first Formula One points.
During the third part of qualifying for the , Pérez lost control of his car upon exiting the circuit's tunnel section, swung to the right and crashed into the barrier, before sliding across the chicane and hitting the TecPro barrier with a heavy side impact. He was seen holding his hands around his head in an attempt to protect it just before the final impact. The session was suspended, and marshals and medical personnel extricated Pérez from his car. A Sauber team spokesman said that he was conscious and able to talk after the accident, and had been taken to the circuit's medical centre. He suffered a sprained thigh and concussion, and did not take part in the race the following day, on medical grounds. After taking part in the first practice session of the , Pérez did not feel well enough and decided not to take any further part, and was replaced by Pedro de la Rosa.
Pérez returned for the and finished eleventh after attempting to run the race on a one-stop strategy. He took a career-best seventh at the and eleventh in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. After a fifteenth place in Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
, he retired in Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
with suspension failure. This was followed by a gearbox failure while running seventh in Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, before he scored a point in Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
after losing ninth place to Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa (, born 25 April 1981) is a Brazilian racing driver. He competed in 15 seasons of Formula One between 2002 and 2017, where he scored 11 Grand Prix victories, 41 podiums and finished as championship runner-up in 2008 by one poin ...
. In Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
he took eighth place, before a sixteenth-place finish in Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
, tenth in India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, and an eleventh-place finish in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area.
...
. He finished sixteenth in the Drivers' Championship with fourteen points.
On 28 July, it was announced that Pérez would remain with Sauber into the season, alongside teammate Kobayashi. On 13 September, Pérez tested for Ferrari as part of the Ferrari Driver Academy in a Ferrari F60
The Ferrari F60 is a Formula One motor racing car, which Scuderia Ferrari used to compete in the 2009 Formula One season.
The chassis was designed by Aldo Costa, Simone Resta, Tiziano Battistini, Marco Fainello, John Iley and Marco de Luca ...
, Ferrari's car from the season. Pérez conducted the test with fellow academy member Jules Bianchi.
2012
Pérez started the season with eighth place at the , losing several places on the final lap due to excessively-worn tyres. In the second round at Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, he went on to battle with Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz (; born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver currently competing for Alpine in Formula One. He won the series' World Drivers' Championship in and with Renault, and has also driven for McLaren, Ferrari, and Mi ...
for the win. In the dying laps of the race he was able to close the gap to 0.5 seconds, but was not able to make the pass as he went wide at turn 14 and fell back, finishing 2.2 seconds behind Alonso in second. Many observers praised his performance despite his late-race error, taking Sauber's best result as an independent team. This drive won him plaudits and fuelled speculation of a move to Ferrari in the near future. However, Pérez later told reporters that he expected to stay with Sauber until at least the end of the 2012 season.
At the 2012 Chinese Grand Prix
The 2012 Chinese Grand Prix (formally the 2012 Formula 1 UBS Chinese Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 15 April 2012 at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China. It was the ninth running of the Chinese Grand Prix as a ...
, he qualified a career-best eighth, but finished the race in eleventh place after problems with pit strategy and his car
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded as ...
's clutch
A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...
. He finished outside the points in the next three races – despite recording the fastest lap in Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
, before Pérez achieved his second career podium at the , finishing the race in third place, having started fifteenth.
In the , Pérez qualified in fifteenth place, citing a handling imbalance and the car feeling "unpredictable" as reasons for the gap to Kobayashi in seventh. He improved to ninth place in the race, but raised poor qualifying form as an issue for the team. On lap 12 of the , he collided with Pastor Maldonado
Pastor Rafael Maldonado Motta (; born 9 March 1985) is a Venezuelan professional racing driver, who competed in Formula One for the Williams (2011–2013) and Lotus (2014–2015) teams and as a Pirelli test driver until 2017. Before entering F ...
, forcing him to retire with broken suspension. He later criticised the Venezuelan
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, claiming "Everybody has concerns about him" before adding, "He is a driver who doesn't know that we are risking our lives and has no respect at all". Maldonado received a double penalty in the form of a reprimand and a €10,000 fine after the race. Pérez later added: "Just look at the last races. He ruined ewisHamilton's race (in Valencia), he ruined my race in Monaco by doing stupid things. I don't understand why the stewards don't take a serious decision with him. With Pastor they're not doing anything that will teach him a lesson."
For the , Pérez started in 17th position but was able to make his way through the field, and ultimately finished the race in 6th place. At the , he made it into Q3 and qualified fifth fastest. A penalty for Maldonado subsequently promoted Pérez to a career-best fourth on the grid. In the race, he was forced to retire in the first turn of the first lap after Romain Grosjean
Romain David Jeremie Grosjean (; born 17 April 1986) is a Swiss-French professional racing driver, competing under the French flag in the NTT IndyCar Series, driving the No. 28 Honda for Andretti Autosport. Grosjean had previously spent nine ...
caused a spectacular accident. Grosjean crashed his car into Lewis Hamilton creating a domino effect which involved five cars. Also involved in the accident were, the championship leader Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz (; born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver currently competing for Alpine in Formula One. He won the series' World Drivers' Championship in and with Renault, and has also driven for McLaren, Ferrari, and Mi ...
and Pérez's teammate Kamui Kobayashi
is a Japanese professional racing driver who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota Gazoo Racing (GR) and in the Super Formula Championship for KCMG . He previously competed in Formula One, Formula E, the GP2 Series, and the ...
.
Pérez took his third podium at the . On Saturday, he failed to qualify for Q3 and was twelfth on the grid. On Sunday, he climbed through the field to second place, passing on track, among others, Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi-Matias Räikkönen (; born 17 October 1979), nicknamed "The Iceman", is a Finnish racing driver who competed in Formula One between 2001 and 2021 for Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus, and Alfa Romeo. Räikkönen won the 2007 Formula One Wo ...
, Nico Rosberg, Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa (, born 25 April 1981) is a Brazilian racing driver. He competed in 15 seasons of Formula One between 2002 and 2017, where he scored 11 Grand Prix victories, 41 podiums and finished as championship runner-up in 2008 by one poin ...
and Alonso. Unlike most of the drivers in the field, Pérez started the race on hard tyres and changed to the medium tyres on lap 29, allowing him to lead the Grand Prix for five laps. As a result, Pérez and his car's outstanding tyre management got him well into the points, and ultimately, to a podium finish. Ultimately, he finished the season in tenth place in the Drivers' Championship with 66 points, 6 more than teammate Kobayashi.
McLaren (2013)
2013
On 28 September 2012, Lewis Hamilton's decision to leave McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formul ...
for Mercedes
Mercedes may refer to:
People
* Mercedes (name), a Spanish feminine name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or last name
Automobile-related
* Mercedes (marque), the pre-1926 brand name of German automobile m ...
in 2013 was announced, and Pérez was subsequently confirmed as Hamilton's replacement. He also replaced Hamilton in McLaren's cartoon ''Tooned
''Tooned'' is an animated cartoon by McLaren starring Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and comedian Alexander Armstrong, and formerly Lewis Hamilton, Kevin Magnussen and Sergio Pérez. It was aired on Sky Sports F1 before the start of each Form ...
''. This also ended Pérez' association with Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
, as he was released from its driver academy.
In the season-opening race in Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, Pérez qualified 15th and finished in 11th position, later describing the weekend as "difficult" for himself and the team as a whole. He started the from ninth on the grid, and finished the race in the same position, scoring his first points for McLaren. He also achieved the fastest lap of the race, having pitted for fresh tyres.
In the Bahrain Grand Prix
The Bahrain Grand Prix ( ar, جائزة البحرين الكبرى), officially known as the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix for sponsorship reasons, is a Formula One motor racing event in Bahrain. The first race took place at the Bahrain Internat ...
, he started 12th on the grid and finished 6th ahead of Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
's Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz (; born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver currently competing for Alpine in Formula One. He won the series' World Drivers' Championship in and with Renault, and has also driven for McLaren, Ferrari, and Mi ...
(8th) and his teammate Jenson Button
Jenson Alexander Lyons Button (born 19 January 1980) is a British racing driver. He won the 2009 Formula One World Championship when he drove for the Brawn GP team. After his F1 career, he became champion of the 2018 season of the Super GT ...
(10th), with whom he had a fierce duel in which they touched on a couple of occasions, increasing the competition between drivers in McLaren on the following races.
After the Bahrain Grand Prix, Jenson Button said of Pérez's driving style:
At the 2013 Monaco Grand Prix
The 2013 Monaco Grand Prix (formally known as the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2013) was a Formula One motor race that took place on 26 May 2013 at the Circuit de Monaco, a street circuit that runs through the principality of Monaco. The race ...
Pérez performed several aggressive overtaking moves, before retiring after colliding with Kimi Räikkönen. Following the incident Räikkönen said that Pérez should be "punched in the face". Pérez recorded a season-best fifth-place finish in India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, finishing four seconds shy of the podium, a result that left him "extremely satisfied".
Pérez confirmed on 13 November 2013 that he would be leaving McLaren at the end of the season to be replaced by Kevin Magnussen
Kevin Jan Magnussen (born 5 October 1992) is a Danish racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Haas F1 Team.
He is the son of four-time Le Mans winner and former Formula One driver Jan Magnussen. Kevin Magnussen came up through McLa ...
. On 12 December 2013 (exactly a month after it was announced he would leave McLaren), Force India
Force India Formula One Team Limited, commonly known as Force India and later Sahara Force India, was a Formula One racing team and constructor based in Silverstone, United Kingdom, with an Indian licence. The team was formed in October 20 ...
confirmed that Pérez would join Nico Hülkenberg
Nicolas Hülkenberg (, born 19 August 1987) is a German professional racing driver who is scheduled to make a full-time racing return to Formula 1 with Haas F1 Team in 2023, after serving as a reserve driver for Aston Martin F1 Team for the yea ...
in their driver line-up for 2014 in a 15 million Euro deal.
Force India (2014–2018)
On 12 December 2013, Pérez had his drive for Force India
Force India Formula One Team Limited, commonly known as Force India and later Sahara Force India, was a Formula One racing team and constructor based in Silverstone, United Kingdom, with an Indian licence. The team was formed in October 20 ...
in confirmed.
2014
In the , he finished 11th but was moved up to 10th to get his first point for Force India due toDaniel Ricciardo
Daniel Joseph Ricciardo ( "Ricardo", ; born 1 July 1989) is an Italian-Australian racing driver who last raced in Formula One driving for McLaren, under the Australian flag. He made his debut at the 2011 British Grand Prix with the HRT ...
being disqualified for breaching fuel limits. He failed to start the , after his car encountered gearbox issues before the start of the race. Nevertheless, a week later in the , he was able to score Force India's first podium since , holding off Ricciardo's Red Bull
Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austria, Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwid ...
for a third-place finish. At the , Pérez started 16th and after gaining four places at the start, was able to overtake both McLarens and Daniil Kvyat
Daniil Vyacheslavovich Kvyat ( rus, Дании́л Вячесла́вович Квят, p=dənʲɪˈil vʲɪtɕɪˈslavəvʲɪtɕ ˈkvʲat; born 26 April 1994) is a Russian professional racing driver who competed in Formula One between 2014– ...
's Toro Rosso to finish 9th. Out-qualifying his teammate for a second time, Pérez started in the tenth position for the however a first-lap collision with Jenson Button
Jenson Alexander Lyons Button (born 19 January 1980) is a British racing driver. He won the 2009 Formula One World Championship when he drove for the Brawn GP team. After his F1 career, he became champion of the 2018 season of the Super GT ...
meant an early retirement for the first time in the season. At the , Pérez was again fighting for another podium finish until the car suffered braking issues, later resulting in losing the third-place position to both Red Bulls. On the last lap, he was involved in a collision with Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa (, born 25 April 1981) is a Brazilian racing driver. He competed in 15 seasons of Formula One between 2002 and 2017, where he scored 11 Grand Prix victories, 41 podiums and finished as championship runner-up in 2008 by one poin ...
, who crashed into the back of his Force India sending both cars heavily into the barriers. Pérez was subsequently given a five-place grid penalty for the next race, as the stewards decided he changed his racing line, causing Massa to crash into him. At the , Pérez set his third fastest lap of his career whilst also giving Force India their third fastest lap in their history.
On 7 November 2014, before the , Force India announced that Pérez would remain with the team for the season. Pérez stated that contract negotiations were "ongoing", in regards to a further contract extension. The deal was officially confirmed at the , with Pérez signing a new two-year contract, until the end of the season.
2015
The 2015 season started with a 10th place for Pérez in Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, followed by a 13th in Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, an 11th in China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and an eighth in Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
. He came fifth in Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
and sixth in Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. His best race of the season was in Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, where he scored his first podium of 2015 and Force India's third-ever. At the 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix
The 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix (formally the Formula 1 Pirelli Magyar Nagydíj 2015) was a Formula One motor race that took place on 26 July 2015 at the Hungaroring in Mogyoród, Hungary. It was the tenth round of the 2015 Formula One season and th ...
during the first practice session he suffered a rear suspension failure and lost control of his car which led to a barrel roll that destroyed his car, he was able to walk away from the accident unscathed. He finished the 2015 championship in ninth, his highest championship position to date, with 78 points. He outscored teammate Hülkenberg by 20 points. Besides the podium finish in Russia, he managed three further top-five finishes in Belgium, the US, and Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area.
...
; he scored 63 of his 78 points in the final nine rounds. In the second half of the season, he out-qualified his teammate in six of the last nine races and eight times throughout the season.
2016
Pérez experienced a difficult start to the season for the first four races due to an uncompetitive VJM09, but scored points with a ninth-place in Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
. Upgrades were introduced in Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
with a seventh-place finish indicating an improvement in the team's form.
In Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
, Pérez scored his sixth (and Force India's fourth) podium finish in wet and changing conditions and moved to ninth in the Drivers' Championship standings. Tyre management played a significant role but in contrast to previous occasions he pitted as many times as Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
and Red Bull
Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austria, Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwid ...
, at times catching up with the front runners and managing to hold Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel (; born 3 July 1987) is a German racing driver who competed in Formula One from 2007 to 2022 for BMW Sauber, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Toro Rosso, Red Bull Racing, Red Bull, Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari, and Aston Martin in Formula One ...
in fourth at a comfortable distance.
In the European Grand Prix
The European Grand Prix (also known as the Grand Prix of Europe) was a Formula One event that was introduced during the mid-1980s and was held every year from to , except in . During these years, the European Grand Prix was held in a countr ...
in Baku
Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
Pérez once again finished third, recovering from a gearbox change penalty as a result of a crash during free practice, having been fast enough to qualify on the front row. Despite having to start from seventh on the grid he made his way up to fourth before passing Kimi Räikkönen on the last lap of the race for third, making it his second podium in three races.
2017
After the2016 Malaysian Grand Prix
The 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix (formally known as the 2016 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 2 October 2016 at the Sepang International Circuit in Selangor, Malaysia. The race marked the thirty- ...
, Pérez confirmed he had committed to Force India for the 2017 season. He remained with the Indian team for a fourth consecutive season alongside new teammate Esteban Ocon
Esteban José Jean-Pierre Ocon-Khelfane (; born 17 September 1996) is a French racing driver who competes for Alpine in Formula One. He made his Formula One debut for Manor Racing in the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix, replacing Rio Haryanto. He move ...
, ending speculation of a possible move to Williams, Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...
or Haas. He was very consistent with his highest finish in 2017 a fourth place in Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
after two rivals collided at the start, and a third retired mid-race with a power unit failure. He ended his streak of 17 points finishes as he ended up colliding with Daniil Kvyat in Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
. He had a moment with his teammate in Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
when he would not allow his teammate through, who thought he could challenge Daniel Ricciardo for 3rd. He was again knocked out in Baku
Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
where he thought he could challenge for the win before colliding with Ocon. He finished 7th in Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and moved up to 6th in the standings after Max Verstappen
Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Belgian-Dutch Auto racing, racing driver and the 2021 Formula One World Championship, 2021 and 2022 Formula One World Championship, 2022 Formula One World Champion. He Formula One drivers ...
was out of the race on the first lap. He dropped to 7th in the championship after finishing 9th in Britain, behind his teammate and Verstappen finished 4th. He remained 7th in the standings for the rest of the season.
2018
Pérez finished the first three races of the season outside the points. He then achieved his eighth career podium finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix ( az, Azərbaycan Qran Prisi) is a Formula One motor racing event that was held for the first time in . It is held on the Baku City Circuit, a street circuit in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.
The event is due to take ...
, finishing 3rd after an incident-strewn race. He passed then-championship leader Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel (; born 3 July 1987) is a German racing driver who competed in Formula One from 2007 to 2022 for BMW Sauber, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Toro Rosso, Red Bull Racing, Red Bull, Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari, and Aston Martin in Formula One ...
for 3rd place with a few laps to go, making him the first driver to finish on the podium twice at the Baku City Circuit (in 2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
and 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
). Another points finish came with 9th place in Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. In France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, he retired from the race with an engine failure. Three consecutive points finishes followed, with 7th-place finishes in Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
After the Hungarian Grand Prix
The Hungarian Grand Prix ( hu, Magyar Nagydíj) is a motor racing event held annually in Mogyoród. Since 1986, the race has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Championship.
History Origins
The first Hungarian Grand Prix was held on 21 ...
, Force India was put into administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...
. This was caused by a group of creditors (including Pérez) taking legal action against the team. Pérez said that this action was taken to save the team and its employees from a winding-up order instigated by other creditors, which would have resulted in the team's collapse. Shortly before the Belgian Grand Prix
The Belgian Grand Prix (French language, French: ''Grand Prix de Belgique''; Dutch language, Dutch: ''Grote Prijs van België''; German language, German: ''Großer Preis von Belgien'') is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula O ...
, Force India's assets were purchased by a consortium of investors led by Lawrence Stroll
Lawrence Sheldon Strulović (name later anglicized to Strulovitch) (born 11 July 1959), best known as Lawrence Stroll, is a Canadian billionaire businessman, part-owner and executive chairman of Aston Martin, and the owner of the Aston Martin F1 ...
, father of Williams driver Lance Stroll
Lance Strulovitch (born 29 October 1998), better known as Lance Stroll, is a Canadian–Belgian racing driver competing under the Canadian flag in Formula One. He has driven for Aston Martin since , having previously driven for Williams and R ...
. The team was re-admitted into the championship as a new team—Racing Point Force India
Racing Point Force India Formula One Team was the title under which Racing Point UK made a late entry into the 2018 Formula One World Championship. The team used the constructor name "Force India", competed under a British licence and was base ...
—keeping Pérez and Ocon as their drivers. At the Belgian Grand Prix, the team came back strong with Pérez and Ocon qualifying 4th and 3rd, and finishing 5th and 6th, respectively.
Pérez took seven points finishes from nine races in the second half of the season. However, he faced criticism after a poor performance in Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. He collided with his teammate Ocon on the opening lap, causing Ocon to crash into a wall and retire from the race. He also collided with Sergey Sirotkin, an action that resulted in a drive-through penalty. He later stated that he thought his penalty was "fair". He later suffered a brake failure and retired from his home race in Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. He ended the season in 8th place in the championship with 62 points, finishing ahead of teammate Ocon and being the only non-Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull driver to finish on the podium that season.
Racing Point (2019–2020)
2019
The 2019 season saw Racing Point Force India become Racing Point
Racing Point F1 Team, which competed as BWT Racing Point F1 Team and commonly known as Racing Point, was a British motor racing team and constructor that Racing Point UK entered into the Formula One World Championship. The team was based in ...
, retaining Pérez as a driver. He was joined at the team by former Williams driver Lance Stroll. Racing Point saw 2019 as a transitional season, with much of the work on that year's car being disrupted by the administration events of the previous year. A strong start to the season, including a 6th-place finish in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
, was followed by a string of eight races without points, the longest such string of his career. This included the rain-affected German Grand Prix, where he crashed out early in the race whilst teammate Stroll briefly led the race and eventually finished 4th.
In a similar manner to 2018, Pérez fared far better during the second half of the season. Except for a retirement in Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
due to an oil leak, he scored points in every race after the summer break, including a strong 6th-place finish in Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. Many of these points finishes came from low initial grid positions, including a 7th-place finish in Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
after starting 18th, 8th in Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
from 17th, and 10th in the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
after starting from the pit lane.
He finished the season in 10th place in the championship with 52 points, comfortably ahead of teammate Stroll.
2020: Maiden victory
Pérez had signed a contract extension with Racing Point, for whom he was meant to continue racing until the end of 2022. Three days before the , he tested positive for SARS-CoV-2
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the respiratory illness responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had a ...
coronavirus which causes COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Due to this, he was unable to participate in the British Grand Prix. He was temporarily replaced by Nico Hülkenberg
Nicolas Hülkenberg (, born 19 August 1987) is a German professional racing driver who is scheduled to make a full-time racing return to Formula 1 with Haas F1 Team in 2023, after serving as a reserve driver for Aston Martin F1 Team for the yea ...
. It was confirmed that he would also miss the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, as he had again tested positive for COVID-19. After testing negative for COVID-19 after the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, Pérez returned to race at the Spanish Grand Prix, he qualified fourth and finished the race in fifth position. In September 2020, Pérez announced that he would be leaving Racing Point at the end of the 2020 season. He would be replaced by Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel (; born 3 July 1987) is a German racing driver who competed in Formula One from 2007 to 2022 for BMW Sauber, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Toro Rosso, Red Bull Racing, Red Bull, Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari, and Aston Martin in Formula One ...
as Racing Point become Aston Martin
Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC is an English manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Steered from 1947 by David Brown, it became associated with ...
for the season.
Pérez achieved his ninth F1 podium at the Turkish Grand Prix
The Turkish Grand Prix ( tr, ) is a Formula One auto racing, motor race held at the Istanbul Park Circuit, designed by Hermann Tilke. The race was part of the Formula One World Championship between and , and to , the latter two being due to ...
. After qualifying third in the rain, Pérez passed Max Verstappen
Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Belgian-Dutch Auto racing, racing driver and the 2021 Formula One World Championship, 2021 and 2022 Formula One World Championship, 2022 Formula One World Champion. He Formula One drivers ...
and went from third to second, only behind his teammate Lance Stroll
Lance Strulovitch (born 29 October 1998), better known as Lance Stroll, is a Canadian–Belgian racing driver competing under the Canadian flag in Formula One. He has driven for Aston Martin since , having previously driven for Williams and R ...
, starting with full wet rain tyres and changing for intermediate tyres on lap 10 of 58. Pérez inherited the lead after Stroll made a pitstop, and on lap 37 he got overtaken by Lewis Hamilton for the lead. The podium was Hamilton, Pérez and Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel (; born 3 July 1987) is a German racing driver who competed in Formula One from 2007 to 2022 for BMW Sauber, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Toro Rosso, Red Bull Racing, Red Bull, Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari, and Aston Martin in Formula One ...
. Pérez was 3rd for the majority of the Bahrain Grand Prix
The Bahrain Grand Prix ( ar, جائزة البحرين الكبرى), officially known as the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix for sponsorship reasons, is a Formula One motor racing event in Bahrain. The first race took place at the Bahrain Internat ...
after starting 5th, but an MGU-K electrical issue struck with only a few laps to go, forcing him to pull over and retire the car with flames billowing out of the power unit.
Since Pérez announced his departure from Racing Point there was support from the media for him, with ''The Race'' saying it will be a "huge injustice were Perez not to be on the 2021 grid.". Former F1 driver and Sky Sports F1 commentator, Martin Brundle
Martin John Brundle (born 1 June 1959) is a British former racing driver, best known as a Formula One driver and as a commentator for ITV Sport from 1997 to 2008, the BBC from 2009 to 2011, and Sky Sports since 2012.
Brundle contested the 19 ...
, also echoed similar thoughts in his online column review the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix
The 2020 Turkish Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 DHL Turkish Grand Prix 2020) was a Formula One motor race held on 15 November 2020 at Istanbul Park in Tuzla, Istanbul. It was the fourteenth round of the 2020 Formula One World Cha ...
where Pérez finished second and suggested that Pérez "should be on Red Bull Racing's radar" to partner Max Verstappen
Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Belgian-Dutch Auto racing, racing driver and the 2021 Formula One World Championship, 2021 and 2022 Formula One World Championship, 2022 Formula One World Champion. He Formula One drivers ...
in place of Alex Albon
Alexander Albon Ansusinha ( th, อเล็กซานเดอร์ อัลบอน อังศุสิงห์; , , born 23 March 1996) is a Thai-British racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Williams Racing, under th ...
.
Pérez won his first race at the Sakhir Grand Prix
Sakhir ( ) is a desert area located in the Southern Governorate of Bahrain, near Zallaq. It contains the Al-Sakhir Palace, built in 1870.
Camping in Sakhir during the winter months is a popular activity in the country.
Notable sites
In the early ...
, becoming Formula 1's 110th race winner. On the first lap, Pérez was hit by Leclerc and went from 2nd place to 18th and last. On lap 64 he took the lead and won the race ahead of Esteban Ocon
Esteban José Jean-Pierre Ocon-Khelfane (; born 17 September 1996) is a French racing driver who competes for Alpine in Formula One. He made his Formula One debut for Manor Racing in the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix, replacing Rio Haryanto. He move ...
and teammate Stroll. This was the first win for a Mexican driver since Pedro Rodríguez won the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1970 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on 7 June 1970. It was race 4 of 13 in both the 1970 World Championship of Drivers and the 1970 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers.
March driver Chris ...
50 years prior.
Pérez finished the season with 125 points, scoring one win and one podium. He finished fourth overall which was his best ever championship result before joining Red Bull Racing, which he would later equal in 2021.
Red Bull (2021–present)
2021: First season at Red Bull
Pérez raced for Red Bull Racing in 2021, replacing Alex Albon
Alexander Albon Ansusinha ( th, อเล็กซานเดอร์ อัลบอน อังศุสิงห์; , , born 23 March 1996) is a Thai-British racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Williams Racing, under th ...
- who was demoted to the role of reserve and test driver - and partnering Max Verstappen
Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Belgian-Dutch Auto racing, racing driver and the 2021 Formula One World Championship, 2021 and 2022 Formula One World Championship, 2022 Formula One World Champion. He Formula One drivers ...
.
At the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix
The 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2021) was a Formula One race which was held on 28 March 2021 at the Bahrain International Circuit, a motor racing circuit in the west of Bahrain. It ser ...
, Pérez made his debut with the Red Bull Racing team finishing in 5th place. During qualifying on Saturday he came 11th. During the formation lap for the race, his car switched off due to an electrical failure. He managed to reset his RB16B before having to start the race from the pitlane.
At the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
The 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio del Made in Italy e dell'Emilia Romagna 2021) was a Formula One motor race which took place on 18 April 2021 at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino F ...
, Pérez qualified on the front row in 2nd place, just 0.035 seconds behind polesitter Lewis Hamilton, outqualifying his teammate Max Verstappen
Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Belgian-Dutch Auto racing, racing driver and the 2021 Formula One World Championship, 2021 and 2022 Formula One World Championship, 2022 Formula One World Champion. He Formula One drivers ...
in P3. It was his first time starting on the front row in his career.
At the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
The 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2021) was a Formula One motor race held on 6 June 2021 at the Baku City Circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan. The race, the sixth round of the 2021 Formula One World ...
, Pérez qualified in 7th place, starting in 6th place due to a grid penalty for Lando Norris
Lando Norris (born 13 November 1999) is a Belgian-British racing driver currently competing in Formula One with McLaren, racing under the British flag. He won the MSA Formula championship in 2015, and the Toyota Racing Series, Eurocup Formul ...
. In the race he made a strong start, moving up to 3rd place by lap 8. In the pit stop window, he then passed Lewis Hamilton to take 2nd place. Having stayed in this position for most of the race, Pérez moved into the lead following a tyre failure for teammate Max Verstappen
Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Belgian-Dutch Auto racing, racing driver and the 2021 Formula One World Championship, 2021 and 2022 Formula One World Championship, 2022 Formula One World Champion. He Formula One drivers ...
and he hit the wall on lap 47. With the race restarting on lap 50, Lewis Hamilton locked up and went off the track into turn 1 after the restart, and he remained in the lead for the final 2 laps to take the second win of his career and his first for Red Bull.
At the 2021 French Grand Prix
The 2021 French Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Emirates Grand Prix de France 2021) was a Formula One motor race which took place on 20 June 2021 at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, Var. The 53-lap race was the seventh rou ...
, Pérez qualified in 4th place, starting behind Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas. In the race, he conserved his tyres up to lap 24. Due to his fresher tyres, he then passed Bottas to take 3rd place on lap 49. It was the first time in his career that he scored podiums on consecutive weekends.
At the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix
The 2021 Styrian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 BWT Großer Preis der Steiermark 2021) was a Formula One motor race that took place on 27 June 2021 at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria as the eighth round of the 2021 Formu ...
, Pérez qualified in 5th place, starting in 4th behind McLaren's Lando Norris
Lando Norris (born 13 November 1999) is a Belgian-British racing driver currently competing in Formula One with McLaren, racing under the British flag. He won the MSA Formula championship in 2015, and the Toyota Racing Series, Eurocup Formul ...
after a penalty for Valtteri Bottas. He passed Norris early but lost a position to Bottas after a slow pitstop. Unable to pass the Mercedes, Pérez then switched strategies and pitted for fresh tyres and chased down Bottas in the final stages. He made up a 20-second deficit to catch Bottas on the final lap, but was unable to pass his rival for a 3rd consecutive finish on the podium and finished just half a second behind in 4th place.
On the way to the grid at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix
The 2021 Belgian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Rolex Belgian Grand Prix 2021) was a Formula One motor race held on 29 August 2021 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It was the twelfth round of the 2021 Formula One World Champi ...
, Pérez crashed, having skidded into the barriers at Les Combes. Pérez's car was fixed in time for the start of the race, although he was required to start from the back. Ultimately, however, the race was red-flagged after just two laps under the safety car, resulting in a result of 20th place, although he was later promoted to 19th due to a penalty given to Lance Stroll
Lance Strulovitch (born 29 October 1998), better known as Lance Stroll, is a Canadian–Belgian racing driver competing under the Canadian flag in Formula One. He has driven for Aston Martin since , having previously driven for Williams and R ...
.
At the Turkish Grand Prix
The Turkish Grand Prix ( tr, ) is a Formula One auto racing, motor race held at the Istanbul Park Circuit, designed by Hermann Tilke. The race was part of the Formula One World Championship between and , and to , the latter two being due to ...
, he finished third to score another podium finish, after an "intense" wheel to wheel battle with Lewis Hamilton in the wet.
At the United States Grand Prix
The United States Grand Prix is a motor racing event that has been held on and off since 1908, when it was known as the American Grand Prize. The Grand Prix later became part of the Formula One World Championship. , the Grand Prix has been held ...
, Pérez had one of his most competitive weekends of the season, out-qualifying the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas and starting 3rd behind teammate Verstappen and the other Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, before finishing in the same position, albeit over 42 seconds behind eventual winner Verstappen, due to a drinks failure on the first lap.
In his home race in Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, Pérez took his third consecutive podium, for the first time in his career. In the closing stages of the race, he was able to pressure Lewis Hamilton for 2nd place, but he was unable to pass Hamilton before the chequered flag.
At the season finale
A season finale (British English: last in the series; Australian English: season final) is the final episode of a season of a television program. This is often the final episode to be produced for a few months or longer, and, as such, will try to ...
in Abu Dhabi, Pérez's defensive work against Hamilton helped his teammate Max Verstappen close a seven-second gap to Hamilton, which was crucial in Verstappen's title victory. Pérez retired from the race a few laps from the end because of suspected engine problems. Verstappen praised Pérez after the race stating "It's very rare to have a team mate like that ... he was a real team player and I really hope we can continue this for a long time."
Pérez finished the season with 190 points, scoring 1 win and 5 podiums. He finished fourth overall, equalling his best championship result set in 2020.
2022: Maiden pole and third in the championship
Pérez stayed at Red Bull for the 2022 season. In May 2022, shortly after his win in Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
, it was announced Pérez would stay with the team until the end of the 2024 season.
He achieved his first pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix ( ar, جائزة السعودية الكبرى) is a Formula One motor racing event which took place for the first time in 2021. The inaugural edition of the race was held in Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia. It was the fift ...
, on his 215th race start in Formula 1; therefore breaking the record for most races before a first pole position and also becoming the first Mexican driver to achieve a pole position in F1. He led the race until lap 16, where he pitted after coming under pressure from a potential undercut from Leclerc in 2nd. A crash from Nicholas Latifi on the same lap meant that the safety car was brought out, allowing Leclerc, Verstappen and Sainz to make a pitstop and keep track position, demoting Perez to 4th place, where he would finish the race.
At the Australian Grand Prix
The Australian Grand Prix is an annual motor racing event which is under contract to host Formula One until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Grand Prix has moved frequently with 23 different venu ...
, Pérez qualified third. He lost a position at the start to Lewis Hamilton because of getting boxed in and got the position back on lap 10. He made his pitstop on lap 21 for hard tyres. Pérez passed Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz (; born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver currently competing for Alpine in Formula One. He won the series' World Drivers' Championship in and with Renault, and has also driven for McLaren, Ferrari, and Mi ...
and George Russell. On lap 39 his teammate Max Verstappen
Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Belgian-Dutch Auto racing, racing driver and the 2021 Formula One World Championship, 2021 and 2022 Formula One World Championship, 2022 Formula One World Champion. He Formula One drivers ...
retired from the race due to mechanical problems and Pérez was then running second behind Charles Leclerc, which he held until the finish. Pérez got the sixteenth podium of his career and his sixth with Red Bull Racing.
In the next round, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix ( it, ) is a Formula One motor racing event held at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, often referred to as "Imola" after the town where it is located. The event takes the name "Emilia Romagna" fr ...
, Pérez qualified 7th as he was unable set a representative time in Q3 due to red flags. He recovered to 3rd in the sprint race. He jumped up to 2nd on the opening lap of the race, after beating Charles Leclerc off the line. Throughout most of the race, Pérez successfully prevented Leclerc from re-overtaking him. After Leclerc spun, Pérez subsequently coasted to 2nd, behind teammate Max Verstappen
Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Belgian-Dutch Auto racing, racing driver and the 2021 Formula One World Championship, 2021 and 2022 Formula One World Championship, 2022 Formula One World Champion. He Formula One drivers ...
. This gave Red Bull their first 1-2 finish since the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix
The 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix (formally known as the 2016 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 2 October 2016 at the Sepang International Circuit in Selangor, Malaysia. The race marked the thirty- ...
.
At the Spanish Grand Prix, Pérez qualified 5th, citing not driving the car in FP1, where he was replaced by Jüri Vips. He overtook Carlos Sainz Jr.
Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro (; born 1 September 1994), otherwise known as Carlos Sainz Jr. or simply Carlos Sainz, is a Formula One drivers from Spain, Spanish racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari. He is th ...
at the start and later fought with George Russell for third place, which turned into a battle for second after teammate Max Verstappen
Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Belgian-Dutch Auto racing, racing driver and the 2021 Formula One World Championship, 2021 and 2022 Formula One World Championship, 2022 Formula One World Champion. He Formula One drivers ...
went wide. Pérez was unable to overtake Russell so he let Verstappen through, who too was unable to overtake Russell due to an issue with his DRS. On Lap 31, after not being allowed to switch with Verstappen by the team, Pérez overtook Russell on the medium tyres when his teammate pitted and took the lead of the race, Charles Leclerc having retired earlier. Pérez again let Verstappen through on lap 49, the team citing Verstappen being on the three stop compared to Pérez's two. Pérez finished in second place, behind Verstappen, giving Red Bull another 1-2 result. Pérez was initially unsatisfied with the team orders despite being satisfied with the result, saying "I'm definitely here to win and I think if I was on the three-stop, I should have won the race."
At the Monaco Grand Prix
The Monaco Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de Monaco) is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco, in late May or early June. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigiou ...
, Pérez qualified third, crashing at the Portier corner on his final attempt. The race started in wet conditions with everyone on the full wet tyres. On Lap 17, Pérez pitted onto intermediate tyres from third place, later taking the lead on Lap 22 after Sainz pitted. Pérez pit the same lap for the slick hard tyres, and still emerged in the lead after a good out-lap. After a red flag, Pérez restarted the race on medium tyres. His tyres degraded quickly and both Ferrari cars and his teammate were right behind him, but unable to overtake. The race hit the three-hour limit, and Pérez held on to win the third race of his Formula One career, from Sainz and his teammate Verstappen.
Pérez qualified 2nd for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix ( az, Azərbaycan Qran Prisi) is a Formula One motor racing event that was held for the first time in . It is held on the Baku City Circuit, a street circuit in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.
The event is due to take ...
, 2 tenths behind Charles Leclerc due to power loss and lack of a tow. In the race he jumped Leclerc on the start and built a 2.5 second gap, which he maintained until his teammate Max Verstappen
Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Belgian-Dutch Auto racing, racing driver and the 2021 Formula One World Championship, 2021 and 2022 Formula One World Championship, 2022 Formula One World Champion. He Formula One drivers ...
overtook him on Lap 14 after the order "no fighting" was issued to Pérez if Verstappen were to try to overtake him. Pérez was unable to keep up with Verstappen, attributing it to tyre degradation. He finished 2nd to Verstappen, with Leclerc having retired. Pérez scored the 20th podium of his Formula One career.
At the British Grand Prix
The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor race organised in the United Kingdom by the Royal Automobile Club. First held in 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 and has been a round of the FIA Formula One World C ...
, Pérez started fourth. Due to a turn four crash he was forced to pit for a new front wing which dropped him down to 17th. After a safety car, he recovered and was battling Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc for second, where he ultimately finished. He also was voted the 'Driver of the day'.
At the Belgian Grand Prix
The Belgian Grand Prix (French language, French: ''Grand Prix de Belgique''; Dutch language, Dutch: ''Grote Prijs van België''; German language, German: ''Großer Preis von Belgien'') is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula O ...
, Pérez qualified third but was promoted to second due to his teammate's grid penalties. Team principal Christian Horner said it was tactical to not start on the pole due to the slipstream effect, which could help a driver take the lead going into the Les Combes corner. Pérez had a bad start and was attacked by the two Mercedes
Mercedes may refer to:
People
* Mercedes (name), a Spanish feminine name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or last name
Automobile-related
* Mercedes (marque), the pre-1926 brand name of German automobile m ...
cars, but eventually moved back into second. After the pit stops played out, Pérez ultimately finished second behind his teammate Verstappen, giving Red Bull another 1-2 finish.
Pérez qualified second for the Singapore Grand Prix
The Singapore Grand Prix; ta, சிங்கப்பூர் கிராண்ட் பிரிக்ஸ் is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula One World Championship. The event takes place on the Marina Bay Street Cir ...
behind Charles Leclerc. He overtook Leclerc at the start and led every lap. The race was shortened to 59 laps because of the 3 hour time limit due to safety cars and an hour-long delay. He won with a 7.5 second advantage to Leclerc. Post-race, he was investigated for a safety car infringement; ultimately his win was allowed to stand, with him receiving a reprimand and a 5-second penalty. He was voted Driver of the Day at the same Grand Prix.
At the Japanese Grand Prix, Pérez qualified fourth. In the race, Carlos Sainz Jr.
Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro (; born 1 September 1994), otherwise known as Carlos Sainz Jr. or simply Carlos Sainz, is a Formula One drivers from Spain, Spanish racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari. He is th ...
retired after a crash, meaning Pérez ran third for most of the race. On the final lap, he pressured second placed Charles Leclerc into a mistake. Leclerc cut across the Casio Triangle, and blocked Pérez from making an overtake. Leclerc was awarded a 5-second time penalty, which elevated Pérez to second in the race, giving Red Bull their fifth 1-2 result of the season. The penalty also meant his teammate Max Verstappen won the championship.
At his home race in Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, Pérez qualified fourth and overtook George Russell to once again finish on the podium in third place, behind Lewis Hamilton and teammate Verstappen.
During the next round in São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
, Pérez qualified ninth under tricky circumstances, elevating himself to fifth place during the Sprint race. In the race he managed to run third for most of the time, but was caught out by a Safety Car with himself on Medium tyres compared to everyone else's Soft tyres. With an already slow car, Pérez dropped back to sixth place. He let teammate Verstappen past with the understanding that Verstappen would let Pérez back past if he could not gain any positions, due to Pérez' fight with Leclerc for second place in the drivers championship. Verstappen didn't let Pérez back past, which left Pérez disappointed. Post race Pérez said the matter was "discussed internally" and they are going to put it "behind" themselves.
At the final round in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area.
...
, Pérez and Leclerc were tied on 290 points for second place. In qualifying, Pérez received a tow from his teammate on his final flying lap and qualified second, ahead of Leclerc. During the race, Pérez switched to a two stop pitstop strategy, pitting opposite of Leclerc. He lost time fighting Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel (; born 3 July 1987) is a German racing driver who competed in Formula One from 2007 to 2022 for BMW Sauber, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Toro Rosso, Red Bull Racing, Red Bull, Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari, and Aston Martin in Formula One ...
and Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz (; born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver currently competing for Alpine in Formula One. He won the series' World Drivers' Championship in and with Renault, and has also driven for McLaren, Ferrari, and Mi ...
, as he went wide at the chicane while attempting an overtake. He later made the same mistake while overtaking Lewis Hamilton, again losing time. Finally, he was held up by Pierre Gasly who was getting lapped, but was engaged in a battle of his own didn't quickly concede the position. Eventually Pérez finished 1.4 seconds behind Leclerc in third place which meant he ended up third in the 2022 Drivers Standings.
Pérez finished the season with 305 points, with 2 wins, 1 pole position, 11 podiums and 3 fastest laps, his best season in Formula 1 yet.
2023: Second in the championship
At the season opener in Bahrain, Pérez was even with teammate Verstappen in their last qualifying laps until the final corners, where oversteer moments cost him pole by nearly 0.15 seconds. In the race, he initially lost position to Charles Leclerc, which he later recovered. He then finished second, about 11 seconds behind Verstappen. At theSaudi Arabian Grand Prix
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix ( ar, جائزة السعودية الكبرى) is a Formula One motor racing event which took place for the first time in 2021. The inaugural edition of the race was held in Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia. It was the fift ...
, Verstappen had a technical issue that saw him knocked out in Q2. Pérez then went on to take his second career pole position. He lost position to Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz (; born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver currently competing for Alpine in Formula One. He won the series' World Drivers' Championship in and with Renault, and has also driven for McLaren, Ferrari, and Mi ...
at the start, which he quickly regained. Teammate Verstappen climbed up to 2nd place from 15th, but Pérez' slightly faster pace meant he won the race by nearly 5 seconds, his fifth career victory and first one in the 2023 season.
At the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix ( az, Azərbaycan Qran Prisi) is a Formula One motor racing event that was held for the first time in . It is held on the Baku City Circuit, a street circuit in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.
The event is due to take ...
, Pérez managed to qualify second for the sprint race on Saturday and third for the Sunday race. Winning both the sprint race and Grand Prix, he closed the gap between himself in second place and Max Verstappen in first place in the Drivers' Championship to 6 points. His sixth overall career victory, it also makes Pérez the first and, to date, only driver to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix ( az, Azərbaycan Qran Prisi) is a Formula One motor racing event that was held for the first time in . It is held on the Baku City Circuit, a street circuit in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.
The event is due to take ...
more than once, having also done so in 2021.
At the Miami Grand Prix
The Miami Grand Prix is a Formula One Grand Prix which forms part of the 2022 Formula One World Championship, with the event taking place at the Miami International Autodrome on a ten-year contract.
History
In 2018, a proposal for the Miami Gra ...
, Pérez qualified in pole position after an error from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc caused a red flag late in the session. This brought the session to a close and Pérez's teammate Max Verstappen was unable to set a time after aborting his first lap in Q3. In the race, Pérez was overtaken by Verstappen when he pitted on lap 21. He briefly regained the lead on lap 46 when Verstappen pitted for mediums but eventually conceded the lead to his teammate who would go on to win the race.
After a string of bad luck and errors saw Pérez neither make Q3 for the next five races nor the podium for the next three, Pérez qualified second behind Verstappen for the sprint race in Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
. He tussled with Verstappen for the lead but eventually finished second. In the race, he finished in third place from his grid position of fifteenth.
In Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
, Pérez finished third after qualifying in ninth and also got Driver of the Day.
Pérez qualified third in Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, a few tenths behind Charles Leclerc but started second due to teammate Verstappen's gearbox penalty. He qualified eighth for the Sprint Shootout after not getting to complete a final lap, and due to damage after contact with Hamilton could not finish the sprint. In the race he overtook Leclerc on the first lap. He later lost the lead to Verstappen and finished second.
After narrowly missing out on the podium in the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, in Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
he qualified fifth despite an engine issue in FP3. He started behind both Ferraris, Verstappen and Russell
Russell may refer to:
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* Russell (given name)
* Russell (surname)
* Lady Russell (disambiguation)
* Lord Russell (disambiguation)
Places Australia
*Russell, Australian Capital Territory
*Russell Island, Queensland (disambiguation)
**Ru ...
. In the race he started on medium tyres, overtook Russell, and later pitted for hard tyres. He narrowly missed out on undercutting both Ferraris but overtook them anyway, finishing second.
After finishing 8th in Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
and retiring in Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
two times in one race which allowed Lewis Hamilton to close up to him in the fight for second in the championship, Pérez entered Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
needing to outscore teammate Verstappen by 32 points to keep his title hopes alive but he qualified 13th for the main race and 8th for the sprint. In the sprint he was making progress when he got collected by Esteban Ocon
Esteban José Jean-Pierre Ocon-Khelfane (; born 17 September 1996) is a French racing driver who competes for Alpine in Formula One. He made his Formula One debut for Manor Racing in the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix, replacing Rio Haryanto. He move ...
after the Alpine
Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to:
Places Europe
* Alps, a European mountain range
** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range
Australia
* Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village
* Alpine National Pa ...
driver collided with Nico Hülkenberg
Nicolas Hülkenberg (, born 19 August 1987) is a German professional racing driver who is scheduled to make a full-time racing return to Formula 1 with Haas F1 Team in 2023, after serving as a reserve driver for Aston Martin F1 Team for the yea ...
and spun into Pérez. The damage ended his race which knocked him out of title contention confirming Verstappen as the 2023 World Champion. He finished 10th in the main race after multiple penalties. In the United States Grand Prix
The United States Grand Prix is a motor racing event that has been held on and off since 1908, when it was known as the American Grand Prize. The Grand Prix later became part of the Formula One World Championship. , the Grand Prix has been held ...
, he finished in 4th place. In the next race, the Mexican Grand Prix, he collided with Leclerc while trying to overtake him around the outside, forcing him to retire from his home race on the first lap.
2024
Pérez started the 2024 season with a second-place finish in the Bahrain Grand Prix
The Bahrain Grand Prix ( ar, جائزة البحرين الكبرى), officially known as the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix for sponsorship reasons, is a Formula One motor racing event in Bahrain. The first race took place at the Bahrain Internat ...
, and another second-place finish at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix ( ar, جائزة السعودية الكبرى) is a Formula One motor racing event which took place for the first time in 2021. The inaugural edition of the race was held in Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia. It was the fift ...
. He was involved in a multicar collision on the first lap at the Monaco Grand Prix
The Monaco Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de Monaco) is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco, in late May or early June. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigiou ...
. Ahead of the , Pérez announced that he would extend his stay with Red Bull Racing until at least the end of the 2026 season.
Other ventures
Pérez is the owner of thepowerboat racing
Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...
team SP11 Team Mexico. In November 2012, Pérez unveiled the Checo Pérez Foundation to support orphans and children with cancer. His sister Paola is the foundation's president.
Karting record
Karting career summary
Racing record
Racing career summary
† Includes points scored by other drivers.Season still in progress.
Complete Skip Barber National Championship results
(key
Key or The Key may refer to:
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* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete Formula BMW ADAC results
(key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete A1 Grand Prix results
(key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete British Formula 3 International Series results
(key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete GP2 Asia Series results
(key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete GP2 Series results
(key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete Formula One results
(key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.Season still in progress.
References
External links
*Sergio Pérez's Racing Point profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Sergio 1990 births Living people Sportspeople from Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexican expatriate sportspeople in Germany Mexican expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland Mexican Formula One drivers Mexican racing drivers British Formula Three Championship drivers A1 Team Mexico drivers GP2 Series drivers Formula BMW ADAC drivers GP2 Asia Series drivers Sauber Formula One drivers McLaren Formula One drivers Force India Formula One drivers Racing Point Formula One drivers Racing Point Force India Formula One drivers Formula One race winners Mexican Roman Catholics Red Bull Formula One drivers Mücke Motorsport drivers T-Sport drivers Campos Racing drivers Arden International drivers People from Guadalajara, Jalisco