Sergio Perez is a Mexican racing driver who will race for Red Bull Racing in the 2021 season. Perez has previously driven for teams like Sauber, Mclaren, Force India, and Racing Point.
He made his Formula One debut in 2011 with Sauber as a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy. He got his first big break when Mclaren selected Perez as the replacement for Lewis Hamilton for the 2013 season. It didn’t work out for him as Mclaren replaced Perez with Kevin Magnussen in 2014.
Perez signed for Force India in 2014 and stayed with the team till the latter half of 2018 after they went into administration and then their reformation as Racing Point F1 in 2019. Despite signing a 3-year extension with Perez in 2019, Racing Point decided to replace Perez with Sebastian Vettel for the 2021 season.
At the Sakhir GP 2020, Perez won the first Formula One Grand Prix, breaking the record for the number of starts before a race win at 190. Later in the 2020 season, it was announced that Sergio Perez will drive for Red Bull in the 2021 season making it his first real opportunity to drive for a front-running team.
Sergio Pérez Biography
| Real Name | Sergio Pérez Mendoza |
| Birth Date | 26, January 1990 |
| Age | 29 Years |
| Birth Place | Guadalajara, Mexico |
| Debut | Malaysian Grand Prix 2012 |
| Nationality | Mexican |
| Profession | Racing Driver |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Sun sign | Aquarius |
Sergio Perez Height, Weight and Body Measurement
| Height | in feet inches – 5’ 9” – in centimeters – 173 cm |
| Weight | in Kilograms – 63 kg – in Pounds – 139 lbs |
| Chest Size | 37 inches |
| Waist Size | 32 inches |
| Biceps Size | 14 inches |
| Shoe Size | 10 (US) |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Body Type | Athletic |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
Family
| Father | Majim Pérez |
| Mother | Elena Pérez |
| Sister | Paola Pérez |
| Brother | Antonio Pérez |
Sergio Perez Affairs (Relationship Status)
| What is Sergio Perez marital status? | Married |
| How many children does he have? | Two (Carlota Pérez) |
| Is Sergio Perez having any relationship affair? | No |
| Is Sergio Perez gay? | No |
| Who is Sergio Perez wife? | Carola Martinez |
Favorite Things
| Car | Mercedes |
| Place | Not Known |
| Sports | Football |
Money Factor
| Net Worth(Approx.) | $ 30 million |
Sergio Perez’s salary
In 2022, he is expected to earn $8 million a year. As of 2022, Apparently, Perez is the fourth-highest paid driver in the sport, trailing only Hamilton, Verstappen, and Alonso. Red Bull is expected to pay him a salary of $18 million, which includes $13 million in bonuses, for the remainder of the season.
Sergio Perez’s contract
Red Bull gave him a one-year contract extension through 2022 as a reward for his outstanding performance. To keep him at Milton Keynes until the end of the 2028 season, the team re-signed Verstappen earlier in 2022 to a new five-year contract.
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Sergio Perez’s wife
He married Carola Martinez, a socialite from Guadalajara who was 24 at the time of their wedding. The event took place in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, on June 3, 2018, where the pair exchanged vows.
Sergio Perez Jr. and Carlota Martinez, the couple’s two young children, live with Perez and Martinez. These newlyweds were thrilled to get Pope Francis’ blessing on their union, as you can see in the photo below.
Sergio Perez for Red Bull
He was confirmed as a new Red Bull driver after Racing Point’s former team signed Sebastian Vettel to replace him. He started on the grid alongside Max Verstappen, with Alexander Albon relegated to a reserve driver role in 2020.
Sergio Perez’s nationality
The Red Bull Racing driver was born in Guadalajara in, Mexico. He is, therefore, of Mexican nationality.
Racing Career
Junior Categories
Perez began his career in carting as a 6-year-old in 1996. In 2005, he competed in the Formula BMW ADAC series where he drove for Team Rosberg. He finished 14th in 2005 and was able to improve to 6th in 2006. In 2007, he moved to the British Formula 3 Championship where he competed in the national class and won the championship. In 2008, he graduated to the international premiere class and finished 4th in the standings.
Perez also took part in the 2008-09 GP2 Asia series where he partnered with Russian Driver Vitaly Petrov and would finish 7th in the standings. He took part in the 2010 GP2 series where he would finish runner-up to Pastor Maldonado and ahead of Jules Bianchi.
Also Read : Lewis Hamilton (British Race Car driver) Biography
Formula One Career
Sauber (2011-2012)
He got his big call in Formula One when Sauber announced that Perez would drive alongside Kamui Kobayashi for the team. He finished his first race in Australia in the seventh position by stopping just once as compared to the complete grid stopping multiple times during the race. The result however didn’t stand as both Sauber drivers were disqualified from the race for a technical infringement. Perez would have to wait until Spain, where he finished 9th to score his first points of the season. Perez would impress in his first season showing good tire management skills and scoring crucial points for the team. He would finish the season in the sixteenth position with 14 points on the board.
The 2012 season was a breakout season for Perez. It all started with a podium at Malaysia, just the second race of the season that saw him challenge Fernando Alonso for victory. Perez used his tire management skills to great effect throughout the season as more often than not he would convert his average qualifying positions into great finishes by conserving the tire performance. 2012 would see him add two more podium finishes at Canada and Monza to his tally as he finished the season in 10th position.
Perez’s performances on the track did catch the eye of Martin Whitmarsh at Mclaren who subsequently signed Perez as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton for the 2013 season.
Mclaren(2013)
Mclaren was the first big break for Perez as the Mexican joined former World Champion Jenson Button in a car that was not as competitive as the car that won races and got poles in the previous season. In a new environment, Perez struggled to perform to the expectations as he was consistently behind Jenson Button in both qualifying and races. There were a few eye-catching performances at Bahrain and India but Perez didn’t come close to replicating his performance at Sauber.
Consequently, Perez was replaced by Kevin Magnussen for the 2014 season. Perez, on his part, joined Nico Hulkenberg at Force India for the 2014 season.
Force India(2014-2018)
Perez joined Force India with a mission to promote the detractors wrong in 2014. Driving a midfield car, he was competitive with Hulkenberg throughout the season. At Bahrain, Perez was able to achieve an unfancied podium finish for the team since 2009. In 2014 however, Perez was unable to match Nico Hulkenberg for consistency as the German finished the season with 96 points compared to Perez’s 59 points.
In 2015 however, Perez turned the tides as he finished the season 20 points clear of Hulkenberg and was able to snatch another podium at the Russian Grand Prix for the team. During this time Perez had started to establish himself as one of the most reliable drivers on the grid.
In the 2016 season, Perez improved even further as he managed to pick up two podiums in a challenging season for Force India. Using his tire management skills at Monaco and pure pace in Azerbaijan, Perez was able to pick up two podiums for the team and establish a clear gap to his teammate Nico Hulkenberg in the intra-team rivalry. He finished the season 7th, almost 30 points clear of Hulkenberg.
The 2017 season saw Perez welcome a new teammate at Force India Esteban Ocon, a young driver with a lot of hype behind him. Perez would establish early dominance over the youngster but Ocon kept closing the gap to the Mexican and the two would collide at Baku where Perez thought he could have challenged for victory. The two teammates would come to blows yet again at the Belgian Grand Prix and consequently, the team would not allow the two drivers to race against each other. Both Perez and Ocon would spend the entirety of the season very close to each other in terms of pace. Perez would end the season 7th in the standings just ahead of his young teammate.
In the 2018 season, Perez achieved the feat of being the only non-Mercedes-Ferrari-Red Bull driver to finish on the podium as he finished 3rd at Baku. The 2018 season also saw the Force India team put into administration mid-season. The assets of the team were purchased and it was readmitted as “Racing Point Force India”. Perez was retained by the team while Esteban Ocon was dropped in favor of Lance Stroll. Perez finished the season 8th in the standings.
Racing Point(2019-2020)
The 2019 season was seen more as a transitional year for the Racing Point unit as the team took a step back in competitiveness. The trademark odd podium finish that Perez had been able to nick in the last few years was missing as the Mexican ended the season 10th in the standings.
The Racing Point team was surrounded by controversy in the 2020 season as the team produced a car that looked eerily similar to the Mercedes of the 2019 season. Protests were lodged but when nothing came out of it the team was free to race. Perez however had already been released by the team at the end of the 2021 season and was looking for a drive for the 2021 season. The car being similar in traits to the last year Mercedes got a massive boost in competitiveness as Perez and Stroll were able to compete for podiums regularly. More than anything Perez was able to secure the first win of his career at Sakhir GP. With no clarity around his future, Perez celebrated his first win at Bahrain like it could be the last of his Formula One career. Perez ended the season a career-best 4th in the standings and comprehensively outperformed his teammate Lance Stroll. A week after the final race of the season at Abu Dhabi, Red Bull announced that Perez would be their second driver for the 2021 season.
Sergio Perez got the opportunity to be a part of a front-running team in 2021 with Red Bull. The Mexican got the call late in 2020 after the season was over as the team decided to replace Alex Albon with him. Perez was looked at as a choice where the team went against its normal modus operandi and picked a driver that had more experience and was not part of the Red Bull junior program. The team had seen multiple young bright drivers team up with Max Verstappen and get completely burnt out because of the level at which the Dutch driver was performing. The start to life at Red Bull was quite impressive for Sergio as he out-qualified Max in just the second race that the duo was teamed up for. The Mexican took some time getting used to the car in 2021 but played the role of a deputy for Max quite impressively on multiple occasions. His valiant defence in Turkey where he held off Lewis Hamilton with an impressive defensive drive stood out. He went one better with an even more impressive defense in the last race of the season against Lewis where he slowed down the Mercedes driver significantly and helped Max Verstappen catch up.
After his first season with the team and following the championship success of Max Verstappen, Perez’s signing was considered to be a positive for the team as he finished P4 in the championship. The 2022 F1 season saw Sergio Perez take another step closer to understanding the car as the Red Bull became more compliant. The driver picked up his first win of the season in Monaco in torrential conditions and secured his first career pole position in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. While a championship challenge was never a consideration as Perez was unable to keep up with teammate Max Verstappen, he did win another race in Singapore in the rain. While Perez had a far better season in 2022, he will finish the season third in the championship behind Charles Leclerc from Ferrari.
The 2023 F1 season has been a bit of a disappointment for the Mexican until now, the driver has found it hard to keep up with teammate Max Verstappen after early season momentum where he won two out of the first four races. A sudden loss of qualifying form has hurt his potential title campaign as he continues to struggle against teammate Max Verstappen.
Records
- Most races before winning a race in Formula One
Sergio Perez’s F1 Record
Sergio Pérez aka Checo, who has driven for Sauber, McLaren, Force India, Racing Point, and now Red Bull, has had a successful F1 career to date. He broke two records within the sport by going 215 races before getting his first pole position and winning his first race 190 races into his career. Checo got his first podium finish in 2012 when he was with Sauber.
Sergio Pérez has four F1 race victories and 27 podium finishes, but only one pole position to his name. He first raced for Red Bull in 2021, and his contract runs until the end of the 2024 season. Checo’s first F1 victory was in 2020 at the Sakhir Grand Prix, and his first win for Red Bull was at the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He also won the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix and the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix.
Why Is Sergio Perez Called Checo?
Sergio Perez is called “Checo” because it is a common nickname for people named “Jose” in Mexico. “Checo” is a diminutive of “Jose” and is commonly used as a nickname for people with that name. Since Sergio’s full name is Sergio Perez Mendoza, and “Jose” is part of his name, he was given the nickname “Checo” by his family and friends. The nickname has stuck with him throughout his racing career and he is commonly referred to as “Checo” by his fans and colleagues in the Formula One paddock.
Wife/Children
Carola Martinez tied the knot with Red Bull F1 driver Sergio Pérez on June 3, 2018. Sergio and Carola had their first child, a son named Sergio Jr, on December 21, 2017. Their second child, a daughter named Carlota, was born on September 15, 2019. They welcomed their third child, a son named Emilio, on May 15, 2022.
Cars, Assets and Endorsements
Despite Sergio Pérez’s successful career in Formula 1, he has chosen to continue living in his homeland of Mexico. Sergio Pérez resides in a lavish mansion spanning over 15,000 sq/ft, which boasts a garage housing several luxurious cars that are the envy of many.
Among the impressive collection, the Bugatti Chiron, with a whopping value of $3 million USD, stands out as the crown jewel.
Additionally, Sergio Pérez owns a McLaren 720S, worth a cool $1 million USD, a Mercedes Benz AMG valued at $790,000 USD, and a Porsche Panamera with an approximate value of $305,000 USD. Besides his racing earnings, Perez’s endorsement deals with companies like Telmex, Telcel, Claro, Uniclick, and Kavak have also contributed to his net worth.
Karting record
Karting career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Super Karts Cup México — Superkart 125 (Light) JAP | Wap Racing | 19th |
| Super Karts Cup México — Superkart 80 (Light) | 10th | ||
| 2003 | Super Karts Cup México — Superkart 125 (Light) | WAP | 31st |
| Easykart Mexico — 100 cc | 4th | ||
| 2010 | Van der Drift Fundraiser | Oxfordshires | 2nd |
| 2016 | SKUSA SuperNationals — KZ2 | GP VCI Mexico | 28th |
2023: Second in the championship
At the season opener in Bahrain, Pérez was even with teammate Verstappen in their last qualifying laps until the final corners, where oversteer moments cost him pole by nearly 0.15 seconds. In the race, he initially lost position to Charles Leclerc, which he later recovered. He then finished second, about 11 seconds behind Verstappen.
At the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Verstappen had a technical issue that saw him knocked out in Q2. Pérez then went on to take his second career pole position. He lost position to Fernando Alonso at the start, which he quickly regained. Teammate Verstappen climbed up to 2nd place from 15th, but Pérez’ slightly faster pace meant he won the race by nearly 5 seconds, his fifth career victory and first one in the 2023 season.
At the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Pérez managed to qualify second for the sprint race on Saturday and third for the Sunday race. Winning both the sprint race and Grand Prix, he closed the gap between himself in second place and Max Verstappen in first place in the Drivers’ Championship to 6 points. His sixth overall career victory, it also makes Pérez the first and, to date, only driver to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix more than once, having also done so in 2021.
At the Miami Grand Prix, Pérez qualified in pole position after an error from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc caused a red flag late in the session. This brought the session to a close and Pérez’s teammate Max Verstappen was unable to set a time after aborting his first lap in Q3. In the race, Pérez was overtaken by Verstappen when he pitted on lap 21. He briefly regained the lead on lap 46 when Verstappen pitted for mediums but eventually conceded the lead to his teammate who would go on to win the race.
After a string of bad luck and errors saw Pérez neither make Q3 for the next five races nor the podium for the next three, Pérez qualified second behind Verstappen for the sprint race in Austria. He tussled with Verstappen for the lead but eventually finished second. In the race, he finished in third place from his grid position of fifteenth.
In Hungary, Pérez finished third after qualifying in ninth and also got Driver of the Day.
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