Sergio Pérez is a Mexican Formula 1 racing driver who competes for Red Bull Racing and is widely recognized as one of the most consistent and strategic drivers of his generation. Born as Sergio Michel Pérez Mendoza on January 26, 1990, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, he is the son of Antonio Pérez Garibay and Marilú Pérez. He has an older sister named Paola Pérez and an older brother named Antonio Pérez.

Sergio Pérez began his karting career in 1996 at the age of six. In his very first competitive year, he won four races in the junior category and finished second overall. In 1997, he moved into the Karting Junior Class, becoming the youngest driver in the category. That season, he secured one victory and five podium finishes, ending the championship in fourth place.

In 2007, Pérez progressed to the British Formula 3 Championship and relocated his residence to Oxford, England. Driving for the T-Sport team in the National Class using older chassis, he dominated the season and won the championship by a significant margin. He claimed victories in approximately two-thirds of the races, achieved a similar proportion of pole positions, and finished on the podium in all but two events.

In 2008, Pérez and T-Sport advanced to the top-tier International Class of the British Formula 3 Championship. He was one of the few drivers competing with a Mugen Honda engine. After leading the championship early in the season, he ultimately finished fourth in the drivers’ standings.

Sergio Pérez made his Formula 1 debut in the 2011 season with Sauber. He secured his first Formula 1 podium at the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix and went on to deliver several standout performances that year. At the 2012 Canadian Grand Prix, despite starting fifteenth on the grid, he finished third to claim his second career podium. Earlier in the season, he recorded the fastest lap at Monaco, although he failed to score points in the following races.

Pérez joined McLaren for the 2013 season but the team struggled to deliver competitive results and failed to secure a single podium finish. As a result, McLaren opted to replace him with Kevin Magnussen for the 2014 season. Pérez subsequently signed a €15 million contract with Force India, where he rebuilt his career and established himself as a reliable top-tier driver. When the team entered administration in 2018, he remained with the outfit, which was rebranded as Racing Point in 2019.

Driving for Racing Point, Sergio Pérez achieved a landmark victory at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, claiming his first Formula 1 win after starting last on the grid. With this triumph, he set the record for the most race starts—190—before achieving a first Grand Prix victory. He later set another record by claiming his first pole position at the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, becoming the driver with the most starts—215—before securing a pole position.

Pérez joined Red Bull Racing for the 2021 season. With the team, he has achieved five Grand Prix victories, the most recent being the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He finished the 2023 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship in second place, behind his teammate Max Verstappen. Over his Formula 1 career, Pérez has won six Grand Prix races and secured 39 podium finishes. He previously raced for Sauber, McLaren, Force India, and Racing Point, and was a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy until 2012. Due to his early success and maturity on track, he was often referred to as the “Mexican Wonder Kid.”

Sergio Pérez married Carola Martínez Galindo in 2018. The couple has three children: Carlota Pérez Martínez, Sergio Pérez Jr., and Emilio Pérez. He is currently under contract with Red Bull Racing through the end of the 2026 Formula 1 season.

Source: Biyografiler.com