First modification:
Czech, as he is known in the world of motorsport, already knows the performance of his new car. With his new team, Red Bull Racing, he will seek to dethrone Mercedes from the top of the podium alongside the Dutchman Max Verstappen.
There is just over a month to go until the start of the Formula 1 season in Bahrain, and the teams that will participate in the competition continue to present their members and cars.
This February 23rd, the Red Bull Racing team unveiled its new vehicle, the RB16B, powered by a Honda engine in Silverstone, UK. Although it does not present substantial changes compared to the unit of the year 2020, Christian Horner, director of Red Bull and head of the project, expects the car to be more competitive than last year.
On the other hand, the Austrian team relies on its drivers to achieve their dream of winning the championship. The Dutchman Max Verstappen repeats with the team while the Mexican Sergio Pérez, with a great performance in 2020, is emerging as the ideal partner to meet the goal.
Pérez, who finished the 2020 season in fourth place, took the opportunity to tour for the first time on a circuit with the new team.
“I am satisfied with the progress we have made in terms of feeling more comfortable. Obviously, I have been driving a car for seven years in a cabin, in a seat with certain pedals and just the positioning itself is quite a challenge to overcome. We definitely took good steps on that and I have to say that on the first day I felt very comfortable, “said the 31-year-old.
Additionally, the pilot born in Guadalajara, Mexico, did not miss an opportunity to publicize his new case, an element of protection in which he displays the Mexican flag.
“Yellow is my helmet color, before I used pink in the kit (by Racing Point) and now yellow will return. We have the flag up. ‘On board’ you can always see the flag and as a Mexican it is something special ”, said Sergio.
The news coincides with the arrival of the América Móvil group, an economic group that has supported the career of ‘Checo’ in motorsports as a sponsor of the Austrian team for the next season.
“América Móvil has been a great promoter of Formula 1 and we are excited to continue that relationship here at Red Bull Racing. The passion and commitment the company brings to racing reflects our own and we look forward to joining the long list of successes they have had on the world stage with all their brands, ”said Horner.
‘Checo ‘, a career on the rise in Formula 1
Pérez’s love of motorsports emerged at home. His father worked in a mechanical workshop, a fact that allowed him to meet Adrián Fernández, a former Indycar driver, and who served as Pérez’s manager in the beginning.
Sergio arrived in Formula 1, the highest category of motorsport, in 2011 as part of the Sauber team. After two years in that team, he joined McLaren (2013) and then joined the Force India F1 Team, with which he would compete between 2014 and 2018, to finally drive with the Racing Point team between 2018 and 2020.
Until 2020, when he ranked fourth with 125 points, Pérez’s best place had been an eighth place in the 2018 season.
In minor categories, the Mexican adds a title in British Formula 3 (achieved in 2007) and a second place in GP2, a prelude to F1, when in 2010 he was placed behind the Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado.
“I am incredibly grateful to Red Bull for giving me the opportunity to race for Red Bull Racing in 2021. The opportunity to race for a team that competes for the championship is something that I have been waiting for since I joined Formula 1,” said Pérez. in December 2020, when it was presented by the new team.
At that time, Christian Horner, indicated that Pérez’s election came after an arduous analysis carried out between the Mexican and the British Thai, Alex Albon.
“After taking our time to evaluate all the relevant data and performances, we have decided that Sergio is the right driver to partner with Max for 2021,” said Horner.
With Pérez in the driver’s duo, Red Bull wants to return to the title. The last year the team managed to celebrate was in 2013 with Sebastian Vettel, now Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate, and he has seen the German house dominate in the last seven championships.
With EFE and Reuters
.
