Sergio Pérez

Mexican racing driver Sergio Pérez was born in January 1990 in Guadalajara, Mexico. His older brother Antonio is a retired stock car racing driver who competed in NASCAR’s Mexico series. Pérez started in racing early with karting competitions at the age of six and four victories in the junior category his first year racing.

In 2005, Pérez relocated to Europe to race in the German Formula BMW ADAC series. The following year he competed in one round of the A1 Grand Prix Season for Team Mexico before moving to the British Formula 3 Championship in 2007 and 2008.

Pérez participated in the 2008-09 GP2 Asia Series with the Campos Grand Prix Team and transitioned to Arden International for the 2009 GP2 series. He would finish second in overall standings.

The Sauber team welcomed Sergio Pérez for the 2011 Formula 1 season. At the Australian Grand Prix – his first race – Pérez finished seventh. The same year he finished eighth in Japan and 10th in India. His overall ranking in the driver’s championship for the year was 16th with 14 points.

In a tight race, Sergio Pérez secured a strong second place after making a brief run for first at the Malaysian Grand Prix. He would also reach the podium at the Italian Grand Prix with a second-place finish. It was his first 10th place finish in the Drivers’ Championship.

In September 2012, McLaren secured Sergio Pérez for the 2013 season. He would spend only one year with the team before moving to Force India.

With a third-place finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix, Pérez was able to elevate Force India to the winner’s podium for the first time since 2009. His contract was later extended through the end of the 2016 season.

After weeks of speculation, Sergio Pérez committed to Force India for the 2017 season. Through the racing year, he performed consistently and reached fourth place in the 2017 Spanish Grand Prix. Pérez finished the season at seventh in the standings.

In a moderate season, Sergio Pérez ended the Formula One World Championship in eighth place. He also earned the distinction of being the only podium finish in the season who was not part of the Mercedes, Red Pull or Ferrari teams when he reached third place at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

In a rebuilding year for Racing Point – formerly Force India – Pérez’s performance lagged in the first half of the year before rebounding. By the end of the season, he achieved 52 points and finished in 10th place. 

At the start of his contract extension with Racing Point, Pérez was sidelined by COVID-19 and unable to race in the British Grand Prix and the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. He returned to the track in the Spanish Grand Prix, securing fifth position.

In a surprise move, Sergio Pérez announced he would no longer be competing with Racing Point following the end of the 2020 season. His contract extension was reported to run through 2022, but plans were to replace Pérez with Sebastian Vettel as Racing Point converted to Aston Martin for the subsequent season.

The 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix was the site of Serio Pérez’s first Formula 1 win. In a dramatic race, the Mexican driver plummeted from first to last following a hit before retaking the lead and winning in lap 64. In addition to scoring his first win, Pérez also was the winner of the 110th Formula 1 race and the first Mexican winner since the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix.

Following his time with Racing Point, Sergio Pérez was secured as a member of team Red Bull at the end of 2020. The initial deal was for one-year. In a team statement, Pérez said, “It will be a proud moment to step onto the grid in Red Bull colours.”

For the first time in his career, Sergio Pérez qualified for the front row with a second-place position at the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. 

The second win of Sergio Pérez’s career and his first with team Red Bull took place at the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Following a seventh place in qualifying, Pérez started in sixth and moved into the lead on lap 47.

In a stunning example of teamwork, Sergio Pérez helped Max Verstappen achieve the Formula 1 title through the delay of Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton in the race at Abu Dhabi. Sergio Pérez ultimately finished the season at fourth place, tying his previous best in 2020. Year-end highlights included a season score of 190 points, one win and five visits to the podium. 

In a tight race, Sergio Pérez edged out his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen to win the Monaco Grand Prix with a 1.154 second margin of victory following a race with ample time at the lead. It was the third win of Pérez’s Formula 1 career.

A second place finish at the British Grand Prix followed an epic battle on race day and is the latest bright spot in a great season. Other second place finishes included the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and the Australian Grand Prix.

With a third-place status so far in 2022, Sergio Pérez is the frequent subject of rumors regarding long-term career prospects. Mercedes recently disputed a rumor that Pérez would be joining their team in 2023 in place of Lewis Hamilton.