Perez reflects on seven years at Racing Point

Sergio Perez, Max Verstappen's likely future teammate, has been reflecting on his seven-year stint with the team during his last race for Racing Point. The Mexican explained what his first reaction was when he saw the factory at Silverstone, and what his entry into the team has meant for his career in Formula 1. 

In an interview with Will Buxton of Formula1.com, Perez was asked about his reaction on entering the then Force India factory at Silverstone. Perez said: “I was shocked. The first impression. I came from walking into probably the most impressive factory in Formula 1 history, to the less impressive, more modest place in the sport. I was shocked, like: ‘This is my new team, okay.’”

Before Perez joined Force India in 2014, the driver had previously represented the Mclaren team. There, as a teammate of Jenson Button, he was the replacement for Lewis Hamilton. 

Pure racers

“But then I met the people and I saw how hungry they were for racing," Perez continued. “That team was all about racing, there were no politics, they were pure racers. And I think why this team has been so successful with the amount of money they’ve had, with the amount of difficulties they’ve had, they are pure racers and that’s something that really.. I think we matched so well because we are pure racers and we enjoy what we do.”

“We’ve had a lot of fun, and we’ve had bad times, but we’ve also had tremendous times."

Formative first year

Perez also stressed the importance of his move to Racing Point for his career, which jolted his career into an upward spiral. The first year at Racing Point, Perez explained, “was very important, you know. After Mclaren my career was going massively upward. I went into what was at the time a top team, Mclaren, and then things changed. And i found myself without a drive quite late in the year, there were not a lot of options.” 

"And then Force India came. I always felt like it was going to be an interim option, I wasn't going to be there very long. We had a one year deal, and every year it was always a one year deal.”