Sergio Perez has a birthday: Red Bull driver celebrates turns 34

Sergio Perez celebrates his 34th birthday on Friday. An important new year dawns for the Red Bull Racing driver, in which he will have to hold his own alongside star driver Max Verstappen. Here are some highlights of the Mexican's long Formula 1 career.

Sergio Perez F1

Perez made his Formula 1 debut in 2011 at Sauber. Despite a difficult first season, he achieved three podium finishes in 2012, attracting interest from top teams. He moved to McLaren in 2013, where he struggled. He then found a place at Force India (later Racing Point and Aston Martin), where he drove for seven seasons and achieved seven podium finishes, including his first victory.

At the end of 2020, Perez's F1 career suddenly seemed to be over. Despite a current contract, Racing Point - which would go through life as Aston Martin from 2021 - no longer had a place for the Mexican, who had to make way for Sebastian Vettel. His win in Sakhir helped spark interest from Red Bull Racing, who wanted to say goodbye to Alexander Albon. So Perez became Max Verstappen's new teammate in 2021.

Sergio Perez in 2023 and 2024

As in 2022, Perez started the 2023 F1 season strongly, with victories in Saudi Arabia and Baku. After this, however, he struggled. The updates to the RB19 did not suit his driving style as well, which affected him especially in qualifying. His dream of beating Verstappen and becoming world champion himself soon fell apart. However, Perez did manage to finish second in the championship, his best ever result in Formula 1.

For Perez, 2024 will be the year of truth. Helmut Marko and Christian Horner have made no secret of looking at other options for 2025, and so it is up to Perez to prove himself in 2024 in such a way that he is still offered a contract extension for the seat next to Verstappen. Ricciardo is already frequently linked with a possible return to Red Bull, while Liam Lawson is waiting for a seat at sister team AlphaTauri.

Sergio Perez vs Lewis Hamilton

In 2021, Perez proved his worth to Red Bull bosses Christian Horner and Helmut Marko by scoring his first win for the team in Baku, where he took the loss for the out-of-favour Verstappen. In the all-decisive Abu Dhabi GP, he held off Lewis Hamilton for long periods despite his worn tyres, playing a key role in his teammate's victory - and thus first world title. Two more victories followed in 2022, in Monaco and Singapore. Red Bull were so pleased with Perez's performance that he was offered a two-year contract extension.

Sergio Perez victories

Perez has won six victories in his long F1 career. He took his first win at the Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain, then with Racing Point. This earned him a seat at Red Bull. He recorded his second win in Baku 2021, after teammate Verstappen crashed out from a leading position due to a blowout. He later won in Monaco, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and a second time in Baku. This earned him the nickname 'King of the Streets', as he achieved five of his six victories on street circuits.