Sergio Michel Perez Mendoza was born in January 1990 in Mexico. Despite the challenges of being a Central American driver, Sergio Perez managed to work his way up to the pinnacle of the sport, now racing for the multi-championship winning F1 team, Red Bull Racing.
Known affectionately as Checo, Sergio is one of the friendliest faces around the paddock every weekend. Despite not winning a championship yet, Checo has written himself in the history books when he managed to win the inaugural Sakhir Grand Prix back in 2020. In a championship-winning car, it’s not crazy to think the Mexican driver is closer than ever to his first World Driver’s Championship title. To learn more about the South American F1 driver, here are 10 fast facts about Sergio Perez:
10 Junior Career In Mexico
Sergio Perez was born in Guadalajara to a family that was already relatively invested in motorsports. His older brother was a racing driver that competed in the NASCAR Mexico Series, while his father was also incredibly passionate and motivated them both toward Formula 1.
Perez began his karting career at the age of 6. He quickly learned the ropes and started collecting wins at a number of local karting circuits. Having entered the Super Karts Cup Mexico tournament, Checo spent a few years mastering his craft before taking the leap to the 80cc competitions. Here he managed to impress scouts for Escuderia Telmex.
9 British Formula 3 Winner
Checo quickly outgrew the competition in Mexico and made the leap of faith to Europe. Having gathered local sponsors, he was able to compete in the 2005 Formula BMW ADAC competition, driving for 4speed Media.
While he did manage to secure a few podiums in the competition, Checo claimed the limelight when he won his first season of the British Formula 3 Championship. Checo dominated the season from the start, winning 14 races and securing 19 podiums in the 21-race season.
8 GP2 Series
Checo then progressed to compete in the GP2 series. While many may not be familiar with what GP2 is, this was Formula 2 before the FIA rebrand. Checo did not manage to carry his winning ways over to the competition, as he failed to win the championship.
Despite not being able to win the competition, Checo did have some impressive runs in the competition. Having won 2 races in his first season, Checo went on a dry run until the 2010 season, when he managed to claim 5 wins and 7 podium finishes.
7 Sponsored By Telmex
Sergio Perez managed to work his way to Formula 1 through his hard work, an impressive 2010 GP2 season, and the power of his personal sponsor, Telmex. Being one of the very few Mexican drivers to ever get to Formula 1, Checo was and is the pride of Mexico within the sport.
This made him a hot property for companies and brands in Mexico to partner with. The most notable of these being Telmex and its billionaire owner, Carlos Slim. As one of the most powerful and wealthy individuals in the world, Carlos Slim put his trust in Checo, and Checo did not disappoint.
6 Formula 1
Telmex was announced as an official sponsor of the Sauber F1 Team and along with it, Sergio Perez found himself a seat on the F1 team. Despite the zeal and determination of the young Mexican driver, the car was not competitive that year, resulting in Checo finishing 16th overall.
In his second year with the team, Checo finally tasted some success as he managed to secure 3 podium finishes. This helped boost him to 10th in the standings with a total of 66 points.
5 Replaced Hamilton At McLaren
Checo’s second season at Sauber was impressive enough to catch the eye of some of the bigger names on the grid. In a shock move, Checo was called in to replace Lewis Hamilton at McLaren. He was only on the team for one year before making another massive move to drive for Force India.
It was at Force India that Checo finally felt comfortable. This was evident in his performances for the team. Despite Force India not being a particularly competitive team, Checo managed to get the most out of the car every weekend. During his stint with the team, he managed to secure 7 podium finishes, including 1 epic race victory.
4 Longest Wait For A F1 Victory
Despite not having a championship title to his name, Checo has undoubtedly written his name in the history books with a massive win at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. The race was incredibly intense as newly crowned World Champion, Lewis Hamilton, was replaced by George Russell for the weekend.
Checo, who found himself last at the end of the first lap, powered his way through the field to sit comfortably on the podium. However, when Mercedes messed up the tire sets on Russell and Bottas’ cars, Sergio found himself leading the race with only a few laps to go. Once he crossed the finish line, he became the record holder for the longest wait to win a Grand Prix in Formula 1 history.
3 Helped Pay Salaries For F1 Staff
Checo is by far one of the friendliest and kindest drivers on the grid. This was evident when he decided to personally cover some of the staff salaries at Force India when they went through a tough time financially.
Sergio Perez was also instrumental in the team being put into liquidation, as he took legal action against the team to save many essential jobs. This saw the team saved by a consortium of investors led by billionaire, Laurence Stroll.
2 Shock Move To Red Bull
Although Checo got his maiden win and played an important role in saving the team, Laurence Stroll could not turn down the opportunity to bring Sebastian Vettel to the team. This saw Checo without a seat for the 2021 season.
Racing as if it were his last, Checo put in some impressive final performances. So impressive that it convinced Red Bull team boss, Christian Horner, to bring the Mexican driver onboard for their championship-fighting season.
1 Mexican Minister Of Defense
While many F1 fans may have doubted the skill and experience of Sergio Perez, it was at Red Bull that he finally silenced his critics. Being in the fastest car on the grid, Checo managed to take victory in Baku after Lewis Hamilton locked up into turn 1.
His fight with Lewis Hamilton didn’t end there, as he held the 7-time World Champion back over 5 seconds in the final race in Abu Dhabi. This was crucial as it closed the gap to Max and allowed Max a free pit under the safety car.