Sergio Pérez F1 Profile & Career Stats

Sergio Pérez Biography

From over-rated pay driver, to Lewis Hamilton’s successor at McLaren, and now back to mid-table obscurity, Sergio Pérez has come along way since his debut five years ago.

Sergio Pérez

The Mexican had a patchy start to life at Force India, but he excelled last season and drove better than ever before. He soundly beat his renowned team-mate, Nico Hulkenberg.

Perez’s F1 career stated at Sauber in 2011 as team-mate to Kamui Kobayashi. Perez is one of many recent additions to the F1 grid who brings his own sponsorship, in this case from a Mexican company, Telmex, who entered an immediate agreement with Sauber.

Due to these circumstances, Perez was welcomed with a lukewarm approach from many inside F1, despite him  finishing 2^nd in the GP2 world championship in the previous year.

On his debut Perez, or ‘checo’, revealed his greatest strength, tyre preservation, as he stopped for fresh rubber just once en route to finishing 7^th.

Sergio Pérez and his Sauber C31

Although the cars were disqualified, it didn't take log for Perez to net his first points, with a ninth placed finish in Spain. After a heavy crash in qualifying at Monaco’s infamous tunnel exit, Perez missed two races due to the injuries.

A solid end to the season brought him a career best 7^th in Britain to finish overall with 14 points. Despite scoring less than half the points of his team mate, Perez was quickly re-signed for the next season.

The 2012 Sauber car was a clear improvement, and Perez’s tyre skills came to fruition very early again. Only a last lap slide saw him go from 5^th to 8^th in Australia, before almost claiming victory in Malaysia.

In wet conditions Perez was in superb form as chased Fernando Alonso’s slow Ferrari, a poor attempt at an over take cost him an almost certain victory, but a 2^nd place did bring him his first ever podium.

Sergio Pérez pitstop McLaren MP4-28

A strong series of points in the middle of the season, culminating in another superb drive to finish 3^rd in Monza, prompted McLaren to sign him for the 2013 season.

However, Perez’s form dramatically dipped as he struggled for points in the final 6 races. He finished with a total of 66 points, and only six more than Kobayashi.

Perez had a troubled 2013 season. Regular crashes earned him criticism from some of the sport’s biggest names, while he struggled to control McLaren’s poor car.

There were moments of brilliance from the Mexican, but ultimately it was a doomed year which saw him finish 24 points behind Jenson Button. McLaren acted quickly to replace him, but luckily Force India were waiting in the wings.

Sergio Pérez, Force India F1 VJM09 waves to the crowd at the 2016 Mexican Grand Prix

A podium finish in Bahrain was the highlight of an up and down season in 2014, but he finished 37 points behind Hulkenberg.

However, he was outstanding 2015 season as he collected regular points and a podium in Russia. The driver McLaren thought they were getting has finally arrived. The return of the Mexican Grand Prix is of course very nice for Mexican Perez, who can drive a real home grand prix now.

The 2016 season was again a great success for Perez. The Force India VJM09, which is fitted with the very powerful Mercedes power unit could even beat the Williams this season.

Perez scored 3 podiums in 2016 and outperformed his highly profiled team mate Nico Hulkenberg.

Ocon (FRA) and Perez (MEX) at a team photograph.

In 2017, Perez lined up alongside his new teammate, Esteban Ocon, and both had a thrilling battle which more than once ended in tears for the team. Trouble started in Canada, where they were strong and had a podium on sight, but Perez did not allow Ocon to get through and attack Daniel Ricciardo after the Frenchman asked the pit wall for that opportunity. Then, Ocon attacked Perez and the Mexican blocked him quite harshly. At Baku, they made contact and damaged the race of both cars in an eventful race which easily could have been Force India's first win in F1. Perez collided into Ocon at Hungary and everything exploded at Belgium, were Perez put Ocon into the wall.

The team had to intervene and the situation calmed down. Perez was able to stay ahead of his young teammate in the WDC 100-87 and secured his place at best of the rest for the second straight year. In 2018, he was Ocon's teammate again and had a good year despite the team's financial struggles and judicial situations throughout the season.

Sergio Pérez, Lance Stroll, Racing Point F1 Austrian GP

Force India changed its name and management during the 2018 season, with Lawrence Stroll as the main investor to save the team's financial woes. The team was renamed as Racing Point. Perez scored a podium at Baku in 2018 and finished the year ahead of Ocon again, even though he got beat in qualifying by the Frenchman, who lost his seat in favour of Lance Stroll for 2019.

In 2019, Perez dismantled Stroll in qualifying with a 12-0 thrashing. However, the Canadian worked better on Sundays in the first half and finished ahead of Perez on points in the first 12 races 18 to 13. Perez scored points in three races of the first half of 2019 and had a streak of eight races without finishing in the top 10 before the summer break.

Perez had an extraordinary second half of 2019. The Mexican driver scored points in eight of the nine races of the second half. He only failed to score at the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix due to an oil leak when he was running 10th on lap 43.

He finished the year with 52 points, his lowest tally since he scored 49 for McLaren in 2013, but finished inside the top ten in the WDC for the sixth consecutive year.

Sergio Perez, Racing Point, 1st position, celebrates on arrival in Parc Ferme

Pérez had an extraordinary 2020 season, scoring points regularly and fighting for P4 in the World Drivers' Championship even after missing two rounds due to a positive Covid-19 test. In the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix, Pérez achieved his ninth career podium with an amazing second-place finish behind champion Lewis Hamilton.

On September 10th, Racing Point (renamed Aston Martin for 2021) announced Sebastian Vettel as Sergio Pérez's replacement for 2021.

After his second-place finish in the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix, Pèrez was running comfortably in third place during the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix before the engine on his car blew up.

After the hard blow from the Bahrain GP, Pèrez took a stunning victory in the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix in a race where he was in last place after the first lap after a crash caused by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Pèrez took the first win for a Mexican driver in 50 years, after Pedro Rodrìguez had won in Spa-Francorchamps in 1970.

On December 18th, 2020, Pérez was announced as a Red Bull driver for the 2021 Formula 1 season and partner Max Verstappen.

Debut season with Red Bull Racing F1 team

In his debut season with Red Bull, Sergio Pérez first struggled a bit in his new team, but after a learning period, he was competitive in the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix and won the race after his teammate Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton ran into trouble at the end of the race (Verstappen due to a tyre failure and the Englishman due to a mistake).

Moreover, Pérez was instrumental throughout the year in Red Bull's fight against Lewis Hamilton, and the team often used him to take points off Hamilton.

MONTE-CARLO, MONACO - MAY 29: Race winner Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrates in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on May 29, 2022 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202205290409 // Usage for editorial use only //

He finished the season in fourth place on the WDC with 190 points and has his career-best five podiums in a single campaign.

Solid start to his second year at Red Bull and win at Monaco

Pérez's second season with Red Bull started off with a DNF at Bahrain due to mechanical issues and a Pole Position at the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Pérez then put together a run of three second places in the following four races, including moving over from the lead in the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix to help his teammate Max Verstappen win.

In the following event, the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix, Pérez won the wet-dry race after starting from third place and having been competing against the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz for the top spot throughout the weekend.

On 28th August 2022, Pérez finished second in the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix behind his teammate Max Verstappen.

It was Pérez's 22nd podium in his Formula 1 career.

After his win at Monaco, Pérez finished on the podium only three times in the following nine races, but won the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix after a great qualifying session and a commanding race in wet-dry conditions.

It was Pérez's third win for Red Bull and the fourth of his career, continuing to extend his record for most wins by a Mexican driver.

In the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix, Pérez finished second and helped his team leader Max Verstappen secure the 2022 title. It was Pérez ninth podium of 2022 and the 23rd of his F1 career.

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - MARCH 04: Pole position qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 and Second placed qualifier Sergio Perez of Mexico.

Pérez finished on the podium in his home race, the 2022 Mexican Grand Prix, for the second consecutive year. It was Pérez's 25th podium of his F1 career and the 10th of his 2022 campaign.

Pérez had his best F1 season in 2022, both in terms of points scored and position in the standings. With 11 podiums and two wins in arguably the most dominant car in F1 history, Pérez scored 305 points and was third in the World Drivers' Championship.

Career-best result of second in the championship thanks to Red Bull's dominance in the 2023 F1 season

Pre-Season Testing suggested Red Bull still had the best car in the grid by some margin, and the RB19 started the season with a tremendous 1-2 in the Bahrain Grand Prix, with Pérez finishing on the podium for the 27th time in his career, while his teammate Verstappen took pole and win ahead of the Mexican.

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19 during the Miami GP at Miami International Autodrome

On March 18th, Pérez achieved his second career Pole Position, at the same venue as his first Pole Position, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. On race day, Pérez won comfortably ahead of his teammate Verstappen, who had to start the race from 15th after a mechanical issue on his car during Q2.

The win was Pérez's fifth in his F1 career and his 28th podium.

On 30th April 2023, Pérez won the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix a day after winning the Sprint event. It was Pérez's sixth Grand Prix win and his fifth with Red Bull.

Pérez reached his third career Pole Position at the 2023 Miami Grand Prix after benefiting from a red flag in Q3 and a mistake from his teammate Verstappen. However, Verstappen won the race ahead of the Mexican, who achieved his 30th F1 podium.

After Miami, Pérez went on a rough patch, especially in Qualifying, and only managed three podiums in the last seven races of the first half of the campaign.

He finished third at Austria and Hungary and followed his teammate in a Red Bull 1-2 in the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, BAHRAIN - FEBRUARY 29: Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB20 during the Bahrain GP at Bahrain International Circuit on Thursday February 29, 2024 in Sakhir, Bahrain. (Photo by Simon Galloway / LAT Images)

Pérez followed Verstappen in another Red Bull 1-2 at the 2023 Italian Grand Prix, but then hit a rough patch with an eighth place at Singapore, retirement in Japan, and 10th place in Qatar.

A fourth place at the 2023 US Grand Prix seemed like a good result for Pérez heading into his home race in México. However, he crashed out of his home Grand Prix in the first corner of the race after a misjudgment while fighting for the lead with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

Fourth place in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, third in Las Vegas and fourth in Abu Dhabi ended Pérez's season decently and secured P2 for him in the World Drivers' Championship with 285 points.

Dominant start for Red Bull in 2024, struggles in the second half

Red Bull started the 2024 F1 season with dominance, which was the trend in the previous two seasons. Pérez, on his side, followed his teammate home and finished second in the first two events.

Those two podiums gave Pérez a total of 37 F1 podiums in his career.

Perez achieved two more podiums, reaching four in the first five races of the 2024 F1 season. However, his season crumbled after that, with the Mexican often out in Q1 or Q2 during qualifying and failing to perform at a high level during races.

At the Miami Grand Prix, when he finished fourth, Pérez had scored 103 points and had finished in the top 5 in the first six races of 2024.

From that point on, the Mexican driver struggled. He finished the season with only 152 points, scoring 49 points in the final 18 races of the campaign.

Although his teammate Max Verstappen won his fourth F1 title, Red Bull failed to win the World Constructors' Championship.

On 18 December 2024, Red Bull and Perez announced they were parting ways, with the Mexican leaving the team after four seasons.

Perez had signed a contract to drive for Red Bull until 2026, but it was cut short.

Return with Cadillac in 2026

On 26 August 2025, Cadillac announced its driver lineup for its Formula 1 entry in 2026. Veteran race winners Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas were confirmed as the team's racers for 2026.

Pérez's first test with Cadillac came in November 2025, driving a two-year-old Ferrari (which will be the team's engine supplier).

Official Sergio Pérez website: https://sergioperez.mx

Sergio Pérez Helmets

Sergio Pérez F1 Cars

Sergio Pérez Championship Results

Sergio Pérez F1 Seasons Summary

Year	Team	Engine	GP	1st	2nd	3rd	Pod	Pole	Laps	FL	Avg Pts	Points
2026	Cadillac	Ferrari	16	0	0	0	0	0	720	0	0.00	0
2024	Red Bull	Honda	24	0	3	1	4	1	1263	1	6.25	150
2023	Red Bull	Honda	22	2	4	3	9	2	1214	2	12.95	285
2022	Red Bull	Honda	22	2	7	2	11	1	1184	3	13.86	305
2021	Red Bull	Honda	22	1	0	4	5	0	1186	2	8.64	190
2020	Racing Point	Mercedes	15	1	1	0	2	0	879	0	8.33	125
2019	Racing Point	Mercedes	21	0	0	0	0	0	1169	0	2.48	52
2018	Force India Racing Point	Mercedes Mercedes	21	0	0	1	1	0	1198	0	2.95	62
2017	Force India	Mercedes	20	0	0	0	0	0	1175	1	5.00	100
2016	Force India	Mercedes	21	0	0	2	2	0	1260	0	4.81	101
2015	Force India	Mercedes	19	0	0	1	1	0	1123	0	4.11	78
2014	Force India	Mercedes	18	0	0	1	1	0	891	1	3.28	59
2013	McLaren	Mercedes	19	0	0	0	0	0	1116	1	2.58	49
2012	Sauber	Ferrari	20	0	2	1	3	0	931	1	3.30	66
2011	Sauber	Ferrari	17	0	0	0	0	0	902	0	0.82	14

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