Sergio Perez in profile | The Mexican who secured his first Red Bull win in Baku

The epitome of a midfield driver, Sergio “Checo” Perez began his Formula 1 journey for Sauber in 2011, and after 190 races, he finally won his first race in the sport for Racing Point last year. In doing so, he broke the record for the number of race starts before a win, and he managed to add to that tally of P1 finishes with a superb display around the Baku City Circuit.

Whilst he was aided by Max Verstappen’s late crash and Lewis Hamilton’s lock-up after the red flag restart, Perez was good value for the win, and will be hoping to kick on at the Austrian team.

But whilst his recent form at Red Bull has thrust him into the limelight, his early career was slightly more hidden; how did he reach F1 and become Red Bull’s latest race winner?

Early Karting Career:

Born in Guadalajara, Mexico on 26 January 1990, Perez began karting at the tender age of six, experiencing success from the very first time he entered a kart’s cockpit. He took four victories in his first year of competing and took that form throughout his journey through the categories.

After finishing fourth in the 1997 Youth Class championship, he came back the following year and secured eight wins to become the youngest ever winner of the category before he set another record after becoming the youngest driver to win a race in the 80 cc Shifter category in 1999. He even needed to be granted special permission from the Federation to participate in the competition due to his age.

Journey to F1:

He then progressed through the karting ranks, before graduating to single-seaters in 2004 when he competed in the United States-based Skip Barber National Championship, finishing 11th.

With funding from Mexican sponsors, Perez was able to move to Europe, a vital step for any aspiring motorsport driver, in 2005 and compete in the German Formula BMW ADAC series. To make ends meet, he had to stay at the restaurant owned by his team manager for months, and ultimately he finished the season in 14th, before finishing sixth, with two podiums, the season afterwards.

After taking part in one round of the 2006-07 A1 Grand Prix season, becoming the third-youngest driver to take part in the series, Perez took a huge leap in his development when he moved up to the British Formula 3 Championship in 2007.

Competing in the National Class, Perez took the category by storm, winning the championship with ease and only finishing off the podium on two occasions, which led to a promotion to the premier class of the category.

Finishing fourth in the standings in the category above, the next step for Perez was 2008-09 GP2 Asia Series where he finished seventh, taking two victories.

Then came a disappointing year. A P12 finish in the GP2 Series in 2009 highlighted Perez’s flaws and in four races in the 2009-10 GP2 Asia Series he managed to score just five points.

However, he came back in 2010, scoring five race wins and seven podiums on his way to finishing P2 in GP2.

That performance led to him being promoted to the Sauber F1 team for the 2011 season.

Life in F1:

Pay drivers have become a familiar sight in F1 recently, with the cost of competing in the sport often too much for some teams without financial aid. Perez was one such example of a pay-driver, with his Mexican sponsor Telmex partnering with Sauber ahead of his maiden campaign.

Due to this partnership, many questioned whether Perez was good enough to drive in F1, and his previous results in single-seaters suggested it could be a step too far. His entrance into the sport was greeted with some displeasure from critics who believed his money and sponsorship was the only reason Sauber chose him to partner Kamui Kobayashi.

After a first season that saw him finish 16th with 14 points, Perez stayed with Sauber for 2012, and after finishing P8 in the opening race in Australia, the Mexican finished second in Malaysia, taking his first F1 podium.

However, it could’ve been so much more. Chasing down Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, he had closed the gap to just 0.5 seconds but after running wide at Turn 14 he finished 2.2 seconds behind the Spaniard. Despite his late error, plaudits finally started to appreciate ‘Checo’, and his form for the rest of 2012 meant McLaren chose him to replace the Mercedes-bound Hamilton.

The move ensured Perez was released from Ferrari’s driver academy, which he’d been part of since October 2010, but with the team based in Woking on a downward spiral, it didn’t work out.

He clashed with Jenson Button, and after ending the season in P11, 24 points and two places below Button, he was released by the team in favour of Kevin Magnussen.

Thus, in 2014, Perez joined Force India and began a seven-year partnership with the team. Driving in the midfield for almost the entirety of that time, Perez helped with his Mexican sponsorship, but his performances on track were also starting to be praised. Leading up to his final season at the team, Perez achieved: P10 in 2014, P9 in 2015, and then back-to-back P7’s, a P8 in 2018 and finally a P10 in 2019.

He was the prime example of a midfield driver who was able to consistently perform at the level he needed to. Then came 2020. Known as Racing Point, the team found immense speed by using Mercedes design for their title-winning 2019 car, and it was successful.

Perez missed two races due to suffering from the coronavirus, but he still managed 13 points finishes in the 17 races, including a first podium since the start of 2018 when he scored a P2 in Turkey. Then the creme de la creme, a first ever F1 race victory at the Sakhir Grand Prix.

Despite dropping down to 18th on lap one, Perez was able to take his maiden win in the premier class of motorsport and it was richly deserved. That win helped him to P4 in the Drivers’ Championship, his highest finish ever, and a move to Red Bull Racing for 2021.

2021:

In his first ever season at a top team, Perez initially struggled, a P11 finish at Imola highlighted this, but after picking up victory around the streets of Baku, he’ll be brimming with confidence, and aiming to help Red Bull take their first Constructors’ title since 2013; if they do it, Perez will have played a vital role.

From a disliked pay-driver, to Lewis Hamilton’s replacement, to a consistent midfield driver and now someone capable of delivering race wins, it’s been a rollercoaster for Perez. But as one of the most respected figures in F1, his recent successes will have been welcomed by most involved in the sport.