Sergio Pérez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sergio Pérez
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Pérez at the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix
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| Born |
Sergio Michel Pérez Mendoza
26 January 1990 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
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| Spouse(s) |
Carola Martínez
(m. 2018) |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Antonio Pérez (brother) |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Mexican |
| Active years | 2011–2024 |
| Teams | Sauber, McLaren, Force India, Racing Point, Red Bull |
| Car number | 11 |
| Entries | 285 (281 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 6 |
| Podiums | 39 |
| Career points | 1638 |
| Pole positions | 3 |
| Fastest laps | 12 |
| First entry | 2011 Australian Grand Prix |
| First win | 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix |
| Last win | 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
| 2024 position | 8th (152 pts) |
| Previous series | |
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| Championship titles | |
| 2007 | British F3 – National |
| Awards | |
| 2024 | FIA Action of the Year |
| Signature | |
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Sergio Michel "Checo" Pérez Mendoza (born January 26, 1990) is a Mexican racing driver. He competed in Formula One from 2011 to 2024. In 2023, Pérez was the runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship with Red Bull. He has won six Grands Prix during his 14 seasons in the sport.
Born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, Pérez started kart racing at age six. He moved up to junior racing series in 2004. He won his first championship in 2007 in the national class of the 2007 British Formula 3 International Series. He then raced in the GP2 Series from 2009 to 2010, finishing second in 2010.
Pérez joined Sauber in 2011 for his Formula One debut. He found more success in 2012, earning his first podium finishes. He later raced for McLaren in 2013 and then Force India (which became Racing Point) from 2014 to 2020. With Racing Point, he achieved his first Formula One win at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.
In 2021, Pérez joined Red Bull to race alongside Max Verstappen. He won his first race for Red Bull at the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He continued to win races in 2022 and 2023, finishing third in the championship in 2022 and runner-up in 2023. After the 2024 season, Pérez and Red Bull decided to part ways.
Pérez has achieved six race wins, three pole positions, four fastest laps, and 39 podiums in Formula One. He holds the record for the most races before his first win (190) and his first pole position (219).
Contents
About Checo
Sergio Michel Pérez Mendoza was born on January 26, 1990, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. He is the youngest child of Antonio Pérez Garibay and Marilú Mendoza de Pérez. He has an older sister, Paola, and an older brother, Antonio, who was also a racing driver. Sergio is married to Carola Martínez Galindo, and they have four children. He is a Catholic.
Both Sergio and his brother Antonio love football. They even thought about becoming professional football players instead of racing drivers. They are good friends with Mexican footballer Javier Hernández. In an interview in 2012, Pérez shared that if he hadn't become a driver, he would have liked to be a lawyer.
Early Racing Days
Karting Adventures
Pérez started his racing journey in karting when he was just six years old in 1996. In his first year, he won four races and finished second overall in his category. The next year, he was the youngest driver in the Youth Class, winning a race and getting five podium finishes.
In 1998, he won eight races and became the youngest champion in the junior category. He also raced in other karting classes, often finishing on the podium. By 2001, he was the youngest driver to compete in the 125cc Shifter Regional category. His talent caught the eye of scouts from Escuderia Telmex. In 2002, he finished second nationally in the Shifter 125cc category.
Moving to Europe
In 2004, Pérez raced in the US-based Skip Barber National Championship. He then moved to Europe in 2005 to compete in the German Formula BMW ADAC series. He finished 14th in 2005 and improved to sixth place in 2006.
He also took part in one race of the 2006–07 A1 Grand Prix season for A1 Team Mexico. He was one of the youngest drivers ever in that series.
Formula Three and GP2
Pérez moved to the British Formula 3 Championship in 2007. He won the National Class easily, taking 14 wins and 14 pole positions. In 2008, he moved to the main International Class and finished fourth overall.
He then joined the GP2 Asia Series in 2008–09, winning two races. He continued in the main GP2 Series in 2009 and 2010. In 2010, he finished second in the championship, winning five races.
Formula One Journey
Sauber Team (2011–2012)
On October 4, 2010, Sauber announced that Pérez would join their team in 2011. He was the first Mexican driver in Formula One since 1981. He also became part of the Ferrari Driver Academy.
Pérez impressed in his first race in Australia by only stopping once for tyres, but his car was later disqualified. He scored his first Formula One points in Spain, finishing ninth. In Monaco, he had a big crash during qualifying and missed the race. He also missed the Canadian Grand Prix due to not feeling well. He returned for the European Grand Prix and continued to score points, finishing 16th in the championship.
In 2012, Pérez started strong with an eighth place in Australia. In Malaysia, he battled Fernando Alonso for the win, finishing second. This was Sauber's best result as an independent team and made many people talk about his future. He achieved his second podium in Canada, finishing third after starting 15th.
He had a tough race in Britain, colliding with Pastor Maldonado. Pérez was very upset, saying Maldonado "has no respect at all." He got his third podium in Italy, climbing from 12th on the grid to finish second. He ended the 2012 season in 10th place. Because of his success, he was called "The Mexican Wunderkind" (a German word for a child prodigy).
McLaren Team (2013)
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In September 2012, Pérez was announced as the replacement for Lewis Hamilton at McLaren for the 2013 season. This meant he left the Ferrari driver program.
His first race with McLaren in Australia was tough, finishing 11th. He scored his first points for the team in Malaysia, finishing ninth and setting the fastest lap. In Bahrain, he finished sixth after a close battle with his teammate Jenson Button. Button commented on Pérez's aggressive driving style, saying it was "unnecessary" at high speeds.
Pérez had some aggressive moves in Monaco but retired after a collision. He achieved his best finish of the season in India, coming in fifth place. On November 13, 2013, Pérez confirmed he would leave McLaren at the end of the season.
Force India and Racing Point (2014–2020)
On December 12, 2013, Pérez was confirmed to join Force India for the 2014 season.
In 2014, he scored his first point for Force India in Australia. A week later, in Bahrain, he achieved Force India's first podium since 2009, finishing third. He had a collision in Canada that led to a grid penalty for the next race. He also set the fastest lap in Austria. He signed a new contract to stay with Force India until the end of 2016.
The 2015 season saw Pérez finish 10th in Australia. His best race was in Russia, where he scored his first podium of 2015, finishing third. He ended the 2015 championship in ninth place, his highest position at that time.
In 2016, Pérez had a slow start but improved with car upgrades. He scored his sixth career podium in Monaco, finishing third in changing conditions. He got another third-place finish in Baku, making it his second podium in three races.
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Pérez stayed with Force India for 2017, partnering Esteban Ocon. He was very consistent, with his best finish being fourth in Spain. He had some close moments with his teammate Ocon, including a collision in Baku. He finished seventh in the championship.
In 2018, Pérez achieved his eighth career podium in Azerbaijan, finishing third. He became the first driver to finish on the podium twice at the Baku City Circuit. Later in the season, Force India faced financial challenges. Pérez helped by taking legal action to save the team from closing down. The team was then bought by a group of investors and renamed Racing Point Force India. Pérez and Ocon remained as drivers.
Pérez had a tough race in Singapore, colliding with his teammate Ocon and another driver. He finished the season in eighth place, being the only driver outside of Mercedes, Ferrari, or Red Bull to get a podium that year.
For 2019, the team became Racing Point, and Pérez continued as a driver alongside Lance Stroll. After a strong start, he had a difficult middle part of the season without scoring points. However, he performed much better in the second half, scoring points in almost every race after the summer break. He finished 10th in the championship.
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In 2020, Pérez tested positive for COVID-19 and missed two races. He returned and continued to perform well. In September 2020, he announced he would leave Racing Point at the end of the season. He achieved his ninth F1 podium in Turkey, finishing second.
Pérez won his first Formula One race at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. He was in last place after the first lap but fought his way back to win. This was the first win for a Mexican driver since Pedro Rodríguez in 1970. He finished the season fourth overall, his best championship result at that time.
Red Bull Racing (2021–2024)
Pérez joined Red Bull Racing in 2021, partnering Max Verstappen. He made his debut with Red Bull in Bahrain, finishing fifth. In Emilia Romagna, he qualified on the front row for the first time in his career.
At the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Pérez won his second career race and his first for Red Bull. He took the lead after his teammate Verstappen had a tyre failure. He also achieved podiums in France and Turkey. In his home race in Mexico, he took his third consecutive podium. At the final race in Abu Dhabi, Pérez played a crucial role in helping Verstappen win the championship by defending against Lewis Hamilton. He finished the season fourth overall.
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Pérez continued with Red Bull in 2022. He achieved his first pole position at the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, becoming the first Mexican driver to do so. He also broke the record for most races before a first pole position. He finished second in Australia and Emilia Romagna, contributing to Red Bull's first 1-2 finish since 2016.
At the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix, Pérez qualified third and went on to win the race, his third Formula One victory. He also finished second in Azerbaijan and Britain. In Singapore, he qualified second and led every lap to win the race. He was voted 'Driver of the Day' at both the British and Singapore Grands Prix. In Japan, he finished second, which helped his teammate Max Verstappen secure the championship. He finished third in his home race in Mexico. Pérez ended the 2022 season with 305 points, two wins, one pole position, and 11 podiums, making it his best season in Formula One.
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In 2023, Pérez started the season strong, finishing second in Bahrain. He then took his second career pole position and won the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. He also won both the sprint race and the main Grand Prix in Azerbaijan, becoming the first driver to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix more than once. He won the pole position in Miami but finished second to Verstappen in the race.
After some challenging races, Pérez bounced back with a second-place finish in the Austrian sprint race and a third-place finish in the main race. He also finished third in Hungary and second in Belgium and Italy. Despite a difficult end to the season, he secured second place in the Drivers' Championship, giving Red Bull their first ever 1-2 finish in the championship. He finished the season with 285 points, two wins, two pole positions, and nine podiums.
Pérez started the 2024 season with two second-place finishes in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. He also achieved podiums in Japan and China. He had a multi-car collision in Monaco and crashed out in Canada. In Azerbaijan, he was fighting for second place but collided with Carlos Sainz Jr. on the second-to-last lap, ending both their races.
For most of 2024, Pérez struggled to match his teammate Verstappen's performance. He had a very tough home race in Mexico, finishing 17th. He retired from the final race in Abu Dhabi after a first-lap collision. He finished the 2024 season in eighth place with 152 points. After the season, Pérez and Red Bull decided to end their partnership.
Other Activities
Powerboat Racing
Pérez owns a powerboat racing team called Sergio Pérez E1 Team. The team competed in the 2024 E1 Series Championship.
Helping Others
In November 2012, Pérez launched the Checo Pérez Foundation. This foundation helps orphans and children who are battling cancer. His sister, Paola, is the president of the foundation.
Images for kids
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Sergio Perez during the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix
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Pérez chasing Alonso for the lead of the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, where he achieved his first podium in Formula One
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Pérez at the 2012 United States Grand Prix
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Pérez at the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix
See also
In Spanish: Sergio Pérez para niños
