Will the ‘Mexican Minister of Defence’ go down as one of this generation’s “Greats” ?

By Joe Murphy

Sergio Pérez is one of the most talented drivers of his generation and, after over a decade on the grid, has become a fan favourite. The Mexican has become something of a national hero and icon, but there is more to this story than you may know. He was born on the 26 January 1990 and has been racing from a very young age.

Over his career, he has had several spells with various teams. In his now eleven years as a driver in the sport, he has lined up for Sauber, McLaren, Force India, and Racing Point, during his tenure. His first victory in Formula One came at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. In the process of claiming this win, he broke the long-standing record for the number of starts before a race win at 190.

A little known fact is that Checo had been a product of the Ferrari Driver Academy until 2012. He made his Formula One debut driving for Sauber in the year prior to leaving the academy.
His first podium in the sport came at the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, in his second season with the constructor.

In 2013, Pérez left Sauber to join McLaren, but the team did not score a single podium finish in the entirety of the season. He was replaced by Kevin Magnussen after only a single campaign with the team. That meant he had to find a seat and this came from an unlikely source.

The team then known as Force India signed Pérez for the 2014 season, a team he stayed with beyond 2018 when they reformed to become Team Racing Point. Despite staying with the team through it’s financial struggles, and having signed a three year contract nine months earlier, it was in September 2020 when Racing Point announced that the Mexican would be leaving the team at the end of the season, with Vettel lining up to replace him following his impending exit from Ferrari.

Fans across the world worried that might see his time with F1 come to an end, with vacant seats running in short supply. In December of that same year, however, Pérez signed with Red Bull Racing for the 2021 season. He became Max Verstappen’s teammate, replacing the relegated Alex Albon, in the process.

After only a few races with the team, Pérez then doubled his career win tally at that years Azerbaijan Grand Prix. In large part due to the help of Checo, Max Verstappen mounted an ultimately successful title challenge of his own. This was most evident with some superb defending in the Abu Dhabi, when he cost Lewis Hamilton a gap over nearly nine seconds, after only a couple of laps. This lead to his teammate labelling him a “legend” , whilst his team described him, fondly, as an animal.

Whilst Sergio couldn’t end Mercedes’ dominant run of Constructors Championships in his maiden year with the team, he is confirmed to still be with the outfit as we approach the first lights out on 2022, meaning he has multiple opportunities to add to his already impressive career statistics. Here’s hoping his can stand on top of the podium on at least one more occasion. Whilst the World Title might be a bridge too far, you never know in the world of Formula 1…