The hunger to win, to compete, to be noticed is insatiable for Checo Pérez. Only at 33 years old has he found the best version of himself in the ruthless world of Formula 1, where any mistake is paid for with a crash or exile. The driver has achieved what no other Mexican has achieved: finishing among the top three in a world championship. In 2022 he was third and in 2023 he can boast of being second. The commonplace goes that no one remembers the second places, but an entire country will have tattooed in its memory that one of its own was able to get close to the top.
Pérez had the dream of being a racing driver, like that animated series called Meteor (Mach GoGoGo). He started in go karts, like the rest of the promising motorsports. His first rival was always Toño, his brother; His first sponsor was his father, who has now become a politician. Money was the roof of his dreams. There were times when he had to compete with used tires because there was no way to buy new ones. Checo even reconsidered changing his profession and becoming a soccer player. His dreams and stubbornness paved the way for him to gain the trust of the Slim family. Hence his solo trip to Germany to ride on the minor circuits and gain experience. Without knowing how to speak German, much less English, the teenager had his only company in solitude. The prejudice weighed on his shoulders that only Slim’s money would get him a place in Formula 1. In reality it was his tenacity.
It was not until 2020 when the Mexican broke out. That year he was left without a seat at Racing Point (today Aston Martin), he was the first driver to contract Covid-19 and there were no more opportunities for him. It was almost the Mexican’s farewell tour. Although he started racing like never before and it was in Bahrain, at the Sakhir Grand Prix, he achieved his first victory in Formula 1 from the back of the grid. A decade after his debut. This is how he pleased the Red Bull leadership, this is how he earned a place in one of the best teams, this is how the challenge of living with Max Verstappen began.
The Mexican was asked to encourage Verstappen so that he could break Lewis Hamilton’s dominance at Mercedes. Checo Pérez put on, according to the glossary of the office world, the company shirt. The Mexican served as a squire for the Dutchman to win the title in 2021, a feat for all of Red Bull. Pérez finished fourth in his debut season. A year later, Verstappen shone on his own to become a two-time champion, his teammate finished third in the world championship, with the rage that he could have been second. They both managed to help the team win the team world championship.
Never in history has Red Bull been able to take everything: first place, second place and the constructors’ championship. This year they achieved it. Verstappen achieved his three-time championship with five dates remaining, the Mexican secured the runner-up position on the penultimate date, in Las Vegas. The constructors’ championship also remained for those of the red buffalo.
2023 was an irregular year for Pérez because the development of the car affected him as the season progressed. His start was devastating with victories in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, he was Verstappen’s main competitor in the season. Everything went away with their crash in qualifying in Monaco, that was the turning point of the campaign. The Dutchman finished with the best season for a driver in F1, with 19 wins. Despite losing control of the Red Bull, he did not stop scoring points and aiming for the podium. He closed his season with 35 career podiums and six wins.
His figures put him on the list of the best drivers in Red Bull, which has raced in F1 since 2005. Also on the list of the great Latin American drivers with Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet, Emerson Fittipaldi and Juan Manuel Fangio at the top, in addition of the Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, who surpasses him by one victory. Among Mexicans, Checo Pérez has surpassed the legendary Rodríguez brothers.
Checo Pérez’s fuel runs out in 2024, or that at least dictates the contract he has with Red Bull. It will be his last year in the Austrian team, unless his performance warrants a contract extension. All the doubts surrounding the Mexican ended up affecting him this year. Healthy, he will have to risk everything or nothing to show the Formula 1 grid that he is still hungry.
Big prize | Position |
---|---|
Bahrain | Second |
Saudi Arabia | First |
Australia | Fifth |
Azerbaijan | First |
Miami | Second |
Monaco | Sixteenth |
Spain | Room |
Canada | Sixth |
Austria | Third |
United Kingdom | Sixth |
Hungary | Third |
Belgium | Second |
Netherlands | Room |
Italy | Second |
Singapore | Eighth |
Japan | The car was removed |
Qatar | Tenth |
USA | Room |
Mexico | The car was removed |
Sao Paulo | Room |
Las Vegas | Third |
Abu Dhabi | Room |
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