Sergio – Mexico’s Desperate Hero
Posted on October 24, 2024 Tags: Daniel Ricciardo Formula One
Dad comes out Swinging
Mexico – All to Play for
SERGIO PEREZ IS A NATIONAL HERO in his home country, which hosts this week’s Mexico F1 Grand Prix, 2000 metres above sea level.
And, while Daniel Ricciardo settles back and ponders whatever is next for him at the age of 35 – six months older than the Mexican – Sergio would seem to have reached those inevitable crossroads.
“Checo Perez will be World Champion”
But while many are writing off the amiable, and popular Sergio Perez, here’s what his Dad Antonio Perez Garibay had to say this week:
Speaking to Mexican news outlet RECORD Antonio Perez – a well-known politician – defiantly predicted that his son would still become a world champion. He remains ‘very excited’ about his future.
“The best of Checo Perez is yet to come,” he said. “I am sure that in due time, Checo will have the weapons to fight for the world championship. I am very excited and can say that Checo will be world champion.”
Millions of fans behind Checo
Checo, as he known across the globe, has the massive support of sponsors like major telecommunication companies Telmex and Telcel, behind him all the way since his early karting days.
His mentor is Carlos Slim Domit, eldest son of Carlos Slim, once listed by Forbes business magazine as the world’s richest man.
Other backers include INTERprotección, one of the largest insurance brokers in Latin America, and Uniclick, a powerful fintech company.
Carlo and his wife Carola Martínez have four children – Sergio Jr., Carlota, Emilio, and daughter Emilia born in September 2023. Despite his international racing commitments, he and Carola choose to stay close to their roots in Mexico.
This weekend is perhaps the most important in the career of the likeable Mexican who has the great majority of his country’s 130 million inhabitants on his side.
Mind you that’s no great hardship. Their residence is a superb home in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, befitting the family’s status.
Danica Patrick, above, who has raced at the highest level in the US and is back at the top of her game now as an exceptional commentator for Sky F1, agrees with 2009 World Champ Jenson Button that Red Bull must make a hard decision about Checo, sooner rather than later.
“They really have to think about it. At some point they have to make a hard decision.
“I would imagine they are starting to think about that,” Danica said. ”Maybe even Checo is. He can’t be having a blast out there. I’m sure he’s getting sick of defending himself.”
But a win is a win!
It took Sergio 10 years and 190 F1 races to achieve his first victory in the sport, becoming the first of his countrymen to do so since the legendary Pedro Rodriguez, in 1970.
He drove from last to first in that inaugural Sakhir Grand Prix – the final race of the 2020 season while driving for Racing Point – taking advantage of the misfortunes of his rivals.
“I’m speechless,” he said, weeping through most of his victory lap after taking the flag. “I hope I’m not dreaming … Ten years it has taken me, and I don’t know what to say.”
Inconspicuous Debut
Sergio made his Formula 1 debut at the 2011 Australian Grand Prix with the Sauber team. But both he and his Japanese teammate, Kamui Kobayashi, were disqualified from the race due to an illegal rear wing on their cars.
He has had five wins for Red Bull, the last in the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. His F1 record includes 39 Podiums, three poles – amassing1636 points along the journey.
But Sergio Perez, Mexico’s Formula One hero, has yet to achieve his dream of winning the Mexican Grand Prix.
While he usually puts in a strong performances at his home race, victory so far has eluded him, with his best results in Mexico third-place finishes in 2021 and 2022.
US Grand Prix best forgotten
At the United States Grand Prix last up in Austin, Texas he had a weekend he’d rather forget.
He was ninth in the sprint race, then qualified 10th for the grand prix where he finished in seventh.
The Mexican Grand Prix holds special significance for Sergio, who grew up dreaming of racing on the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit.
Each year, thousands upon thousands of fans rock up to the hallowed track hoping to witness their national hero claim the top step of the podium.
And a win has never been more important to Checo than this weekend!
Mexico – An important step towards 2025
The Hermanos Rodriguez track is 4.304 km long, with 17 corners and a surface that is low in terms of its severity on tyres. Since last year, It has been resurfaced in the third sector – between turns 12 and 15.
The very smooth asphalt – and the fact the track is hardly used – means grip levels are rather low at the start of the weekend and track evolution is very marked, rubbering in the more the cars run.
While the ‘rarified air’ of Mexico City – located at over 2000 metres above sea level – has an influence on car performance, reducing the aerodynamic downforce generated by the cars.
The Formula One speed record was set here in 2016 when Finland’s Valtteri Bottas in the Williams-Mercedes was clocked at 372.5 km/h (231 mph).
Back to the Future
The second stop on F1’s long trip to the Americas takes place here in Mexico City, the nation’s capital, before the circus moves onto Brazil’s Sao Paulo to end the run of three consecutive races.
Pirelli has chosen the C3 Hard, the C4 Medium and the C5 Soft as the available tyres this weekend.
It’s a step softer than in the past, a decision taken to open up more strategic options for the race.
In fact, Friday’s first day of track action will be slightly different to usual.
The second free practice session will be given over entirely to validating the softer compounds in Pirelli’s 2025 range (C4, C5 and C6) in what is known as an in-competition test.
The session is extended by 30 minutes to 90, with drivers and teams following a specific programme established by the Pirelli engineers.
It means teams will have to prepare their cars for qualifying and the race in the space of two hours: FP1 on Friday and FP3 on Saturday.
Mexican Grand Prix, Mexico City
Mexican Grand Prix
Perth, WA, Time
Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez | 26 – 28 Oct
P1 Saturday 26th October 02:30
P2 Saturday 26th October 06:00
P3 Sunday 27th October 01:30
Qualifying Sunday 27th October 05:00
Mexican Grand Prix Race
Monday 28th October 04:00
Next event
Brazilian Grand Prix
Autódromo José Carlos Pace | 01 – 04 Nov
EDITED BY AC
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